Love Me Dead
by Crowbartender
Summary: Marceline is a notorious assassin. Princess Bubblegum is her target. Slightly AU. Rated M for violence and some sexual content.
1. How It Started

**Bainaku**** has inspired me with her lovely stories, ****Tower, Tower**** in particular. The assassin concept for this story was born there, but hopefully not much else is similar. This fic is titled after a song by Ludo.**

* * *

><p>Faint sobbing echoed through the chilled streets of a small village straddling the Ice Kingdom. The darkness seemed to amplify the sound, making it difficult to know where it was coming from, but those who could hear it were able to easily identify the sorrow the cries carried.<p>

Then there came a sudden smash. Glass being broken.

And silence followed.

The footpaths were deserted, save for a few monsters dressed in rags. Thin trolls, hollow goblins, gasping fish beasts, a serpent being playing an instrument softly; these were the folks without refuge. The nightlife wasn't safe, but there was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. The breeze held the snowy air from the Ice Kingdom and if one didn't have thick fur or warm clothes, then they were left to suffer.

Hunched against brick walls, curled into their own ribs, the homeless shivered. None paid any attention to the wandering silhouette floating down the road. They hardly had the strength to live much longer, let alone overpower another person.

Even those in houses were terribly poor. Small shacks were the best any could own, as their tyrant king allowed only enough wealth to survive, while he bathed in a golden bathtub. His powers resembled that of the Ice King, but he put his to much more catastrophic use.

On occasion, he would invite a bread thief to his palace and that thief was never seen again. Some said the king turned looters into ice and dumped them into the ocean, or in pits of fire. Not even the Ice King was capable of such a brutal abuse of elemental magic.

The previously mentioned shape drifting by the homeless had a distorted composition. There were thick billowing tendrils surrounded its lower regions. Maybe tentacles. A badly positioned pointed hump rested as a head or disfigurement on the creature. It followed the coiling road up to the gates of the palace holding the king. Guards were on either side of the entrance and the figure sank into the ground, becoming a puddle of black ooze. It slithered by the guards, unseen, and waded up the dirt pathway.

It entered the palace, travelling into the bowels of the titanic fortress without being noticed. Its movements sounded like a small stream lapping at rocks and it fell into sync with the dripping leaks in the ceiling. The puddle didn't stop once. It spread across the carpeted floor, melting into shadows when an Ice Guard ambled by. Its destination was already known.

It came to a door and bled underneath it.

There were dwindling candles on the walls that offered enough light to reveal a woman with raven hair rising from the black puddle. A double-sided axe hung from a strap that hugged her shoulder and hip, its massive size making no difference in the ease with which the woman removed it. She floated to the sleeping king, covered by a velvet blanket, and raised the weapon above her head; the leather of her jacket groaned as she bent her arms.

The overweight king stirred when something tickled his nose and he squinted open one eye in irritation. He found a lock of dark hair wafting in front of him. Confused, he turned over, only to see the woman with the axe, her round crimson goggles reflecting the flames of his candles. He opened his mouth to scream, but the woman had already swung and buried the axe into his throat.

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><p>The morning sun stretched its light over the land of Ooo, reaching far into the darkness to chase away the remnants of a cold night. Its pleasant warmth went unnoticed, however, in a particular kingdom. Ooo had many kingdoms scattered about, most housing princesses that were often kidnapped by desperate men, namely the Ice King. It was common though, and therefore did not pose as a serious threat; all princesses were always retrieved and returned safely. But an abduction was not the case at hand in the Candy Kingdom.<p>

The sole ruler, Princess Bubblegum, had been injured.

The Candy People adored their princess and the smallest incidents threw them into chaos. The citizens were easily frightened and quick to fret, so when news leaked about Princess Bubblegum's trip down the stairs, everyone grew restless. Wrappers were dishevelled, those who accessorised with icing had applied it haphazardly, if at all, and many were unfit to work because they were sick with worry. All awaited an update, some sent cards wishing her well, others wanted to visit, but the castle guards and staff would assure them that the princess was recovering and simply needed to be left alone.

Although, on this day, something unusual happened. Something unexpected. Throughout the sugar-coated streets, there was a soft clomping of something heavy passing by. Nervously peering out their windows or cracked open doors, the Candy People spotted a large Lemon Horse. The creature's mouth protruded grotesquely from its lemon-shaped head, which was mounted on a thin noodle-like neck. A shadowed figure sat atop the horse, dressed in a grey bodysuit and black boots. A sheathed sword at his side swayed with every movement of his steed. He faced the castle, narrow eyes gazing intently at the sugary utopia in the distance.

Troubled by this sight, various citizens ducked back into the safety of unlit houses, already knowing who it was, while others remained watching, overcome with dread.

Why would Princess Bubblegum's heir, The Earl of Lemongrab, come to the Candy Kingdom if not to take the throne? His sour attitude had no place in the land of the sweet, yet he was more than willing to rule over that of which he himself was not.

The people feared the worst.

* * *

><p>"Gumballs!" Princess Bubblegum cursed as she tried to balance on both her feet again, but slices of pain bit into her ankle with even the slightest application of pressure. "This is so inconvenient," she muttered, deciding that maybe hopping would be more effective. She bounced feebly towards her desk across the room, proud that she could at least accomplish this small task.<p>

She was about halfway there when a knock sounded on her door. It opened a few seconds later.

"M'lady, The Earl of Lemong- What are you doing?!" cried the small striped candy man as he rushed into the room to stop the princess from making any more progress.

"I was just going to sign some documents, Peppermint. Calm down," Bubblegum said.

Peppermint Butler urgently clutched Princess Bubblegum's forearm and gently coaxed her into retracing her hops. Agitated that her staggering journey was in vain, she unwillingly allowed her servant to pull her back to her bed. Peppermint waited for her to carefully climb beneath the covers before he released her.

"Your Highness, Dr. Ice Cream told you to stay off your ankle for at least a week. It's only been two days and you're already trying to walk; you won't heal if you keep this up..." The butler's eyes shone and Princess Bubblegum sighed, knowing it was best not to upset her subjects. They were so emotional.

"I'm _fine_, I just don't want to have an enormous amount of papers to sign and review when I'm able to resume my duties," she insisted and Peppermint shook his head, awestruck by her dedication.

"Your replies have always been prompt; I'm sure all will forgive this brief delay."

Bubblegum nodded reluctantly, frowning as she recalled Peppermint's original purpose for interrupting her sneaky endeavours.

"You were saying the Earl of Lemongrab is here?"

"Yes, shall I send him away?"

"No, no, I will speak with him. I may be bedridden, but I refuse to neglect all audiences, attire be jammed." Her frilled nightgown may not be the most dignified outfit to wear before nobility, but it was of no present concern. Lemongrab's insufferable voice and hostility might be refreshing after this period of confinement. After two days, Princess Bubblegum already felt caged and culturally stifled.

Peppermint bowed and left her chambers and returned swiftly with the Earl at his heels. Peppermint's expression was contorted, angered, while the Earl seemed smug. He roughly pushed the butler aside and entered Bubblegum's room.

"I hear you've broken your legs," he said, scanning the princess eagerly.

"Nonsense! I've merely twisted my ankle; I'll be okay in a few more days," Bubblegum confirmed petulantly, already regretting admitting the earl entrance into her castle.

"Oh, well..." Lemongrab hesitated, trying to cover his evident disappointment as he made what could only be described as a painful screech as he elongated the word 'well' until he continued: "I've come to make sure everything is in order. Perhaps there is business that needs to be attended to?" There was underlying desperation in his tone. He wanted some sort job he could do to prove his worth.

"No, there is nothing that I can't handle. I'm not sure who told you my legs were broken, but be sure to send a messenger next time so you don't arrive under false pretenses. You are welcome to stay here though, if you feel tired from your trip," Bubblegum added, not inclined to being ill-mannered, even to a jerk like Lemongrab.

"Uh, thank you, but if I have no service to provide, I will be leaving. I hope you recover quickly, Your Highness," Lemongrab murmured, bowing stiffly. It was obviously a forced gesture and he turned around and stormed out of Bubblegum's chambers, knocking Peppermint Butler over without an ounce of regard.

"That was... interesting," Bubblegum said, uncertain whether to feel amused or disturbed by Lemongrab's behaviour.


	2. Agreements

"Your Majesty!" Peppermint Butler shouted frantically as he swung open Princess Bubblegum's bedroom door, all but forgetting his etiquette. Privacy wasn't of any consideration when there was such crucial news to be shared.

"Knock next time, Peppermint," Bubblegum berated lightly, setting aside a stack of papers. It was now her fifth day of passive leadership and Peppermint Butler had finally allowed her to start making a dent in her growing pile of paperwork.

"My apologies, Princess, but something has happened in Frostbite Village!"

Bubblegum's grip tightened on her pen.

"What? Did King Grizzly finally suffocate under his own stomach?" she questioned harshly, vividly remembering the way Grizzly had rejected her peace offering after she refused to marry him. He held strong disdain towards the Candy Kingdom since then and tended to persecute trespassers from the district. This infuriated Bubblegum, but war was something she made a point to avoid. If a ruler couldn't be diplomatic, then Bubblegum would leave them be. The Candy Kingdom only ever engaged in battle when defending the land from an attack.

"No, not suffocated... He was found in his room... beheaded."

Bubblegum froze. Her rising anger towards the king vanished and was replaced with a deep shock mingled with guilt.

"How did this happen?" she asked quietly.

"He was believed to be assassinated. A royal messenger left moments ago; he told me the new king wishes to form an alliance with us," he said.

"While King Grizzly's death is unfortunate, I am pleased that we may have the chance to reconcile the past rivalry with Frostbite Village. Does he wish to meet in person, or will a letter suffice?"

"A letter," Peppermint replied instantly, still strictly obeying Dr. Ice Cream's instructions to keep Bubblegum off her feet for a week.

Torn between being bothered or touched by Peppermint's overbearing behaviour, Bubblegum nodded. She knew she could meet the king once all her affairs were in check after her recovery, but the sooner she confirmed the alliance, the better. Having friends outside of the Candy Kingdom was much more beneficial than having enemies.

* * *

><p>Smoke filled nearly every crevice of the cramped bar. The floor was stone and Lemongrab's boots sounded loud against it as he stepped into the shady atmosphere. Muscular monsters were littered about, some eyeing him warily. One rather large group seemed to be engaged in a game of poker as they smoked and drank heavily.<p>

Lemongrab wasn't completely foreign to these types of places; he had many questionable friends who frequented the sketchy bars and clubs where he would meet them to negotiate some underground business.

He approached the bar, finding a large brown ogre cleaning a glass with a dirty rag. He sat in front of him and looked around, making sure no one was going to eavesdrop, and then whispered, "I have someone I want to get rid of. Know anyone who can help?"

The bartender eyed him with a dark expression, then flashed his yellow teeth in a grin.

"Yer in luck, pal. Best in the business is playing cards with the boys off in the corner. Better not bother 'er til' she's done though."

"'She'?" Lemongrab repeated, uncertain if he heard correctly. Surely no woman could be "the best" at what was so clearly a man's job.

"Ya heard me. It's the Axe Reaper 'erself and you'd be smart not to doubt 'er when she's right across the room; the girl's got good hearing," the ogre warned severely, gaze drifting to what might've been the topic of the conversation.

"That name does sound familiar," Lemongrab murmured.

"Ha, of course. Once yer on her list, yer fate is sealed. There're a lotta stories about her, even more rumours; they get around," he said.

"She can't be too discreet if there's that many stories about her," Lemongrab replied indignantly.

"Are ya kiddin' me? None of 'er customers 'ave ever been caught. No one can touch ya if she's in yer pocket."

"I don't come cheap, either," a voice said from behind Lemongrab.

Both creatures jumped, unaware of another's presence.

The stool beside Lemongrab was then taken and he glanced to the left to find a woman dressed in faded black. She removed the aged wide-brimmed hat from her head and placed it on its crown as she ordered a drink.

Lemongrab was surprised by how comfortable she seemed, especially in a bar swarming with oversized beasts that could easily take advantage of a lady. Even a lady with a large axe hanging on her back.

"So, what can you offer me?" she asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure if..." Lemongrab began nervously. How could he kindly word how offended he was by the prospect of hiring a woman for such a delicate job?

"If what?" she prompted sharply.

"If you're qualified for this..."

Before Lemongrab finished, the Axe Reaper sprung from her stool and dug her fingers into Lemongrab's collar, lifting him without any effort. A few cheers sounded and Lemongrab realised with a start that the Axe Reaper was slowly rising off the ground, floating higher and higher, closing in on the whirling ceiling fan.

He felt the air caress the back of his neck.

"If I hold you out to the blades and keep you from escaping until you're dead, will that qualify me?" Her casual tone had now become sinister, a deep and threatening snarl. Lemongrab saw himself in her red goggles, saw his own terror, and saw the fan just behind his head.

He swallowed.

"No, I think you've proven yourself, Reaper. I apologise for my misconception. Please, let me live and allow me to pay you a great fortune for your services," he wagered pathetically.

"Now there's a good change of tune." The Reaper chuckled, lowering them both to the ground. She placed Lemongrab back on his stool and reclaimed hers. A glass of what appeared to be wine was waiting for her and she pulled down the facemask covering her mouth and nose to take a sip. Her skin was a pale blue, nearing grey.

The ogre was serving someone else, but he was smirking, and so were most of the other men. The sneers didn't help calm Lemongrab's utter humiliation. He was manhandled by a woman. A _woman_.

"I'll ask again. What can you offer me?"

Regaining his composure, Lemongrab cleared his throat.

"Gold, diamonds, artefacts…" Lemongrab listed, glad that he was conservative when it came to his wealth. He told himself he was saving for something important and this was definitely the thing he was meant to spend his fortune on, especially when all his riches would be increased tenfold when he upgraded from earl to prince, or even king.

"All of those things sound tempting, but I have very unique taste," she said, downing a mouthful of wine. Lemongrab spotted a pointed fang as she spoke and started to think that maybe she really was dangerous, if his brush with death wasn't any indication. His shame started to soak away as the idea of actually ruling the Candy Kingdom became much more likely and a small pang of excitement flittered through his stomach.

"Dragon's Breath. I can give you Dragon's Breath," he said.

"And what might that be?"

"It's a rare potion. One mouthful allows you to breathe fire, but it can be fatal if you breathe in after drinking it," he explained, the Reaper's smile making him incredibly pleased that he had saved the last of the potion.

"Give me the potion as a down payment and you've got yourself a deal," the Reaper declared, thrusting a gloved hand out for Lemongrab to shake.

He stared at the offering, pale fingers sprouting from the cut-off points in the glove. This agreement would change everything for him. His life would never be the same and he would have the blood of his very creator on his hands. For a moment, he pondered on whether supreme wealth and power were worth more than the life of Bonnibel Bubblegum. Was killing her really the way he wanted to acquire the throne?

Lemongrab reached out and shook the Reaper's hand.


	3. Into the Night

Lemongrab had arranged for the Reaper to come to his home in order to provide her with details about her target. Assassinations weren't always so simple when royalty was involved. Sometimes the guards weren't very alert and that gave the Reaper a chance to slip under their radar, but there were some that could sense her presence if she didn't keep her distance and wait for the right moment to strike. Being observant and patient was important.

When the door to Lemongrab's manor was opened by a small Lemon Drop butler, the candy was bewildered when he found a tiny bat in front of him. It flew into the castle and when he turned to chase it back outside, it grew and reshaped, and a weapon emerged from its back. Fur was replaced with skin, then clothes appeared, and a thick curtain of black hair tumbled to the ground. With a start, the butler threw himself to his knees and paid his respect to the Axe Reaper.

"Master has been expecting you, Madam Axe Reaper," the yellow treat said, as if honoured to meet her.

"Cut the formalities, buddy. Just call me Reaper."

"I beg your pardon, Reaper." The butler bowed his head to the ground once more, and then rose to his feet. "This way, please."

The butler led her from the foyer and into the living room. There was a bookcase, a fireplace, a couch, and a table covered with paper painted with ink in the corner. A pen lay broken on the ground along with an upended chair.

"You gonna clean that up?" the Reaper questioned with amusement.

"Master demanded that no one go near his workplace unless told otherwise," the butler said, a worried expression touching his face as he peered at the stain the ink was making in the rug. It would be irremovable if someone didn't clean it shortly.

Lemongrab lived in a miniature castle. For an earl of his stature, it seemed strange that he chose to stay in such a drab thing that lacked any kind of extravagance. The rooms were basically empty, save for the basic objects found in most households. There were hardly any decorative features and it was either because Lemongrab didn't plan to live there much longer, or he refused to have any item of worth on display.

As the Reaper glanced around at her dreary surroundings, footsteps marching against stone brought her attention to the staircase still visible in the foyer from her position. Lemongrab was descending hastily, a briefcase in one hand and a scrap of paper in the other.

"Reaper, I'm glad you arrived on time," Lemongrab greeted as he joined the assassin in the living room, eyeing her axe with a faint smirk.

"Your Excellence," the Reaper purred, tipping her hat. She was handed the paper Lemongrab had been holding and he then went about opening the case he brought along.

The Reaper curiously unfolded the paper and a photograph fell out. She bent down to retrieve it.

A pale-skinned woman with a fine violet hue was frowning at the camera, a golden tiara embracing her pink head. She was in a lab coat and there was a table behind her, which Lemongrab sat atop with a sour glare.

The paper that concealed the photo looked like scribbled directions to the Candy Kingdom from the earl's manner.

"So, this is her?" The Reaper wasn't really asking, merely pondering aloud. The princess didn't appear to be as horrid as Lemongrab had described. _She's pretty_.

"Yes. She's an infernal girl. She has no idea how to run a kingdom and must be removed so that I may correct all her despicable mistakes," Lemongrab hissed, refraining from ripping the photo from the Reaper's fingers and tearing it to shreds. Bubblegum was the one who banished him, who treated him like a failure all the time.

"Whatever you say, Boss."

Lemongrab hurled the briefcase at his butler, not caring that it hit him in the eye, and held out a small vial hanging from a thin leather cord. The blue liquid it carried gleamed like a cluster of stars and the Reaper removed her hat and carefully took the potion from the earl and placed it around her neck, tucking it under her jacket.

"It activates when it makes contact with saliva, so be sure to spit all of it out if you plan on using it," Lemongrab advised as the Reaper replaced her hat. She pocketed the photo of Princess Bubblegum and reread the sloppy directions to the kingdom.

"I'll need about a week to scope out the castle. I've heard that Candy People can detect other species nearby, especially if they pose a threat...," the Reaper said as she tried to remember other specific information. They expired, but weren't easy to kill, as they could regenerate. She may have to take Bubblegum's body with her and dispose of it.

"That's acceptable. Just make sure you cover your tracks. If anyone suspects me in the slightest, or you fail to kill Princess Bubblegum, I assure you, I will see that your career ends along with your lifeless existence," Lemongrab cautioned solemnly.

The Reaper wasn't frightened.

"Sir, I have been successful in every single one of my assignments. If my employer doesn't act suspicious after the death of the target, there is no way the murder can be traced," she responded, extending her hand towards Lemongrab. "You have my word."

Lemongrab watched, unmoving, feeling empowered by his control over her. The Reaper was no longer a vicious murderer in a bar, but rather, his momentary possession. He paid for her. She was synonymous with a common whore.

"Considering your place, you will bow to me, and then you may go," he instructed snidely. "You are to return in a week with a status report, unless you have a secure messaging system?"

"I'll send one of my personal messengers to you if I can't make it," the assassin supplied as she hunched over in a curt bow. Lemongrab smiled and revelled in the fact that all the improvements he wanted to make in the Candy Kingdom would actually be implemented. They would no longer be fleeting desires.

The Reaper adjusted the strap of her axe and then lifted off the floor. Her body shrivelled, her clothes dissolved into her skin and her axe sunk into her spine. Her goggles and mask were swallowed by her face and the shifting of magic-sprinkled fabrics and supernatural skin continued until the Reaper was a bat no bigger than Lemongrab's hand.

His butler raced towards the front door, opening it so that the Reaper could flutter out.

Not a single creature that happened to witness the exit of the bat from the earl's home would truly know what the little thing was capable of.


	4. Peeping

Even at night the Candy Kingdom looked cheerful. The pastel colours touched by the glow of the street lanterns caused different hues of brightness to paint the streets and the Reaper cringed in disdain, almost blinded. Why would someone like Lemongrab want to rule such a happy place?

A few glances into household windows told the Reaper that she went under the radar when the Candy People were sleeping. No one stirred when she pressed her pig-like nose against the window's glass, her thumb claws clinging to one of the sash bars.

She launched off the window she was currently on, the flapping of her wings much louder than usual in the dormant kingdom. There were no other noises to hear. It was peaceful and the Reaper grew even more curious about the woman who caused Lemongrab such fierce frustration. The housing didn't look shabby and no one was sitting in the gutters, or in the alleys. Everyone seemed to have a home, so what was it that made the ruler so terrible?

The Reaper had no trouble spotting the castle. Walls circled it and two giant Gumball Guardians sat at opposite ends. The Reaper flew close to the ground as she neared the entrance to the fortress constructed with sweets, starting to think it was all too simple when the gumballs didn't so much as twitch when she passed over the wall.

She spotted a Banana Guard standing before a pretzel gate. She landed on the candy-coated ground and crept closer, making sure to stay out of the guard's line of vision. She didn't make a single sound, but the guard stiffened.

He began to hiss lightly, his stance becoming defensive. The Reaper paused behind a lump of chocolate, waiting.

The guard stepped away from the gate and moved towards the Reaper, his staff at the ready. The sugar crystal at its tip glinted under the moonlight as he pointed it at the chocolate mound.

"Be gone!" he yelled. The Reaper didn't want a great deal of attention to be on her, so she quickly twisted around and sprung off the ground. Now with the rumours of the Candy Peoples abilities confirmed, she flew away until the hissing of the guard ceased.

She landed in a tree, the strong scent of cotton candy inducing slight nausea; her senses were keen and the smell was very overwhelming.

"Who knew a huge sweet could make such an ugly sound," the Reaper mumbled. She needed to think of a plan, a better way to closely monitor the princess. She needed to learn the layout of the castle, the routine of the guards and staff, but if they all reacted that way when she was within range, a lot more stealth was going to be required.

The Reaper scanned the many towers, wondering which one held Bubblegum's room. Would it be the highest tower?

Not seeing any harm in checking, the Reaper lifted back into the sky and headed for the centre tower, topped with a titanic ice-cream cone. She landed on the windowsill and peeked into the room.

A small peppermint in a butler outfit was slouched over in his seat, a flickering candle dribbling wax into its holder by the chair leg. A light scratching could be heard and the Reaper slid across the window so that she could make out the profile of Princess Bubblegum, who sat upright in her bed. She was writing something on a scroll and glanced up at the butler every so often. She shifted under the weight of paper on her lap and they rustled. The sound was enough to rouse the peppermint, and as soon as he spotted her, he stood up from his chair and hurried over to the bed.

"Princess! I told you not to do this!" he chastised, snatching the papers from her bed.

Bubblegum sighed.

"You treat me like such a child sometimes, Peppermint. I was almost finished," she said, giving up her pen when Peppermint Butler held out a hand expectantly.

"You need your sleep, Your Highness. I only want what's best for you and starting tomorrow night, the rest of the castle staff and I will take turns watching you until you stop trying to stay up all night working," he said, adjusting her pillows as the yawning princess lowered her head onto them, too tired to put up a fight as Peppermint tucked her in.

"He sure is bold for a butler," The Reaper said to herself, befuddled by the strange interactions between the two. Their relationship seemed to be more familial than professional.

Peppermint abruptly stopped clearing the few remaining papers Bubblegum had been hiding under her blanket and spun around. He stared at the window with a grave expression, approaching it slowly. His eyes narrowed as he gazed into the night.

Nothing was there.

* * *

><p>The following day proved to be a lot more difficult. Princess Bubblegum was being watched constantly when she went to bed, and this made it hard for the Reaper to get close, as she was only able to come out at night. If she scaled the tower wall, a small shadow would appear at the princess's window, forcing her to sink back into the trees. At this point, the Reaper's only discovery was that Princess Bubblegum did not share her people's attentive nature. She was oblivious to the Reaper's presence.<p>

Chancing another attempt at spying, the Reaper, still restricted to her bat form, soared up to the tower. She landed on the wall a few feet beneath Bubblegum's window, clinging to the sugar brick as she strained her ears. She listened for any sign of another person in the room with the princess, but was startled by a loud clap of thunder. She had failed to notice the thick clouds overtaking the stars and the thunder was the signal for the rain to begin falling. It was a lazy shower at first, but gradually grew heavier.

The Reaper was slipping down the sugar bricks and she swiftly climbed the wall before it was soaked and pulled herself onto Bubblegum's windowsill. To her surprise, the window was open and Princess Bubblegum had just been about to shut it.

"Oh," Bubblegum breathed as she saw the Reaper. "Hello." She bent down, trying to get a better look at the trembling creature. "You poor thing! Look at how wet you are," she said worriedly, extending a cautious hand. The bat shied away, but the princess was persistent and whispered coaxing assurances as she inched her hand closer. Not finding a better opportunity, the Reaper allowed Bubblegum to pick her up, uncomfortable with how gently she was cradled.

Bubblegum balanced the bat in one hand and closed the window with the other, blocking out some of the heavy rain and rumbling thunder. A knock rattled her door and she called, "Come in."

Peppermint Butler had been waiting for Bubblegum to change into her nightgown, but the time she was taking made him suspect that she was using the precious moments to her advantage. He searched for any signs of paper, but faltered when the princess raced up to him excitedly. The last thing he expected was for Bubblegum to thrust out her hands to reveal a peculiar looking bat drenched with rain. His instincts told him to hiss and attack the thing, but Bubblegum had already covered the bat with her hand and brought it to her chest adoringly. It was very much like her to be intrigued by something so ugly and odd.

"Fetch it a towel, Peppermint. I don't want it to die," Bubblegum ordered and Peppermint bowed and glared at the tiny head poking out from between the princess's fingers. Its forked tongue flicked out in what Peppermint took as a mocking gesture and he huffed as he left to retrieve a towel for the fiendish rat with wings.

When the butler returned, Bubblegum was already in bed. This was unexpected, as she had made it a recent habit to fuss about wanting one more hour to catch up on some work. Yet she was sitting on the covers without even a word about royal documents, stroking the bat's head. Peppermint felt less threatened now as he held out his arms. Bubblegum carefully placed the bat in one of Peppermint's towel covered palms and he folded the other half over the animal and rubbed at its fur as softly as he could. He did have his doubts, but if the princess wanted to keep the bat out of the storm for the night, he would have to comply. How much trouble could it really be?

Deciding he had dried it enough, he opened his hands to expose the bat, now incredibly fluffed up from all the static that was created from the friction. Bubblegum giggled and reached out, scooping the bat up. She then stood from her bed and walked over to her closet, opening it and holding out the bat so that it could wrap its feet around her clothes rack and assume an upside-down position.

"You're safe here; don't be afraid. I'll let you go in the morning," Bubblegum promised, smiling as the bat draped its wings around itself, swaying slightly.

The last thing the Reaper saw before the door was shut was Peppermint Butler sitting down at Bubblegum's desk, preparing to stay up for the majority of the night.


	5. Ruining a Murder

With the frequently changing shifts between the castle staff, the Reaper had to postpone her plan. It was frustrating having the princess so close, yet not being able to do anything. No matter what size she made herself, the Candy People would react to her proximity like they were living radars. She had heard the butler whispering about her when one of the perturbed maids entered Bubblegum's room to take his place for the nightly watch. The Reaper knew she had a limited amount of time to note all that went on within the castle, but she was trapped in the closet for now.

Being nocturnal, the Reaper had nothing to do except devise scheme after scheme. This process lasted for some time, but with complete darkness clinging to every corner, it couldn't be determined how much time exactly. There had to be a second, the Reaper decided, where she would catch Bubblegum alone, slit her throat with her own claws if necessary, and then launch through the closest window with the princess' body.

When someone finally realised Bubblegum was gone, it would be too late. The Reaper would have disposed of the corpse, returned to Lemongrab, received the rest of her payment, and been on her way. It was as simple as that.

The rain seemed to only get heavier as the night dragged on. Thunderclaps shook the walls and the Reaper could make out the faint sound of rustling fabric and the restless murmurs of Princess Bubblegum as she tried to fight for sleep. A chair creaked- the maid's- and blankets were adjusted. Her sensitive hearing could pick up things that happened outside of the bedroom, too. She could hear the wooden legs of roaming Banana Guards clicking against the floor; they passed the princess' door every ten minutes.

The Reaper unfolded her wings and stretched, yawned. She was starting to feel tired thanks to the thick blackness, which meant dawn must've been creeping from the horizon. It was a slow approach, but the Reaper was losing her focus and her consciousness as the rain softened into a consistent patter rather than a strong pounding. The thunder also silenced its growls.

Soon after, she sunk into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>The Reaper snapped awake as something prodded her stomach. Her first impulse was to bite whatever touched her, but the smell of bubblegum met her nose and she stifled the urge. She'd never been caught off guard before. She found a withdrawing finger melting back into the light as Princess Bubblegum opened her closet door further, smiling apologetically through the crack.<p>

"Oh, you are alive!" Bubblegum said, amazed that mere moments ago, it seemed the bat had not been breathing at all.

The Reaper narrowed her red eyes and dropped to the floor layered with neat piles of clothes and shoes. With a grouchy hiss, she crawled away from the brightness and buried herself underneath a silk dress.

"Quite the attitude, I see. Try not to soil anything, because you're going to be staying here for a while longer. The storm hasn't passed," Bubblegum informed, only to receive another dismissive hiss. Giggling, she closed the door and reached for the Candy Cane she'd angled against the wall. She was fully capable of walking without it, and did so when travelling short distances, but if she wanted an early release from her imprisonment (her bedroom), she promised her doctor she would use the support of a cane to reduce the weight put on her ankle.

"Have you identified its species yet, Your Highness?" Peppermint Butler asked when Bubblegum turned and made her way towards him.

"I'm not too familiar with bat species, I'm afraid," she said.

"What shall I feed it, then?"

Bubblegum considered this, then replied, "Bring up a fruit platter at nightfall; let it sleep for now."

When Peppermint nodded, the princess gratefully limped out of her quarters to maintain her current level of diligence. She'd finally caught up to date with her work, but there were many conventions she missed and royal meetings she needed to attend. Her mail had to be categorised because so many citizens and nations aligned with the Candy Kingdom had sent letters pertaining her injury that they cut into the time she needed to spend reviewing more important files.

On top of all that, many Candy People within the castle tried to warn her of an omen. They all felt on edge and uncomfortable, but Peppermint Butler was quick to silence them because he didn't want to alarm Bubblegum. The bat had yet to cause any problems and he convinced everyone not to mention their unease as he promised to keep an eye on the animal responsible until it was released. Bubblegum had enough to worry about; she didn't need to know that bat she'd saved may be dangerous.

So, the day was spent like any other. The only difference was the constant offering of assistance due to Bubblegum's handicap. She was becoming impatient with anyone who thought she was unfit to do her job and turned down all help calmly. She was a princess, after all, and princesses kept their composure no matter the situation, but she still wished the Candy People would stop fretting; she was fine.

* * *

><p>When Princess Bubblegum retired to her room, she was unprepared to find the bat perched on her desk, fangs digging into a strawberry. Peppermint Butler was collecting the fruit it rudely kicked off the tray he had brought for it. Bubblegum rested her cane against the desk and stared at the strawberry in fascination. The colour was drained right out of it, leaving the fruit an insipid grey when the bat finally dislodged its fangs. Next was the skin of a red apple.<p>

"Astounding! It consumes colour," Bubblegum remarked, transfixed on the animal sifting through red tinted fruits until they all met the same fate as the strawberry. "I've never seen anything like it, Peppermint! I must study-"

"In the morning," Peppermint interrupted. The princess gawked at the striped man. Surely, he was joking.

"I don't think you realise how important-"

"A good night's sleep is."

Realising that Peppermint wasn't going to relent, her excitement deflated as she hobbled over to her closet to find a suitable nightgown. There was never a point to arguing with Peppermint Butler; he always knew what was best for her. As she rummaged through her options, she glanced at her desk. The bat had stopped trying to juice the colourless fruits any further and was now peering at Bubblegum. The princess released a breath of defeat and turned back around.

"I suppose," she began resignedly, "that it would be wrong to imprison a wild animal for the sake of science. I think there's enough subjects in the lab to eat at my conscience."

"They are voluntary experiments, Your Majesty. Don't feel guilty," Peppermint said encouragingly.

"I can't help it. I do want to understand the world, but not at the expense of another living thing. As much as I resent mysteries, I believe this bat will have to remain one," Bubblegum surrendered.

Noticing that the princess had chosen her nightwear, Peppermint Butler retrieved the silver tray and bid Bubblegum goodnight before leaving her room. When the door closed, she started to undress and amusedly watched as the bat turned away, as if embarrassed.

"I will lose much knowledge along with you, my mammalian friend," Bubblegum murmured as she disposed of the clothes she'd been wearing into a washing basket by the door. She then went to her window and opened it. "As you can see, the storm is no more. You're free to go." Seeing the creature stiffen at the sight of the outdoors, Bubblegum shuffled towards her desk and scooped the bat up. She carried it carefully to her window and it clung to her fingers tightly, not once loosening its grip even when she held it out into the cool night.

A breeze caught the bat's fur, but it did not spread its wings, nor did it let go of Bubblegum's palm. If its actions were not clear enough, it then spun around and crawled up the princess' arm.

"It's okay; you may go when you're ready," she said as she grabbed the bat and placed it on the windowsill. It was frozen there, staring at Bubblegum with almost luminous crimson eyes. It looked unsure.

Smiling, she reached out, stroked its head once, then moved over to her bed. She switched off the lamp and settled under her blanket.

* * *

><p>The Reaper was on that windowsill for a long time. She felt very conflicted. This was her chance, her golden opportunity, shiny and perfect. Princess Bubblegum was but a few feet away, alone and defenceless. So why couldn't she do it? Why couldn't she fly over, enlarge her body, force her axe from her spine, take it, and swing?<p>

If Lemongrab found out she couldn't kill the princess, he would surely hire someone who would kill them both. Lemongrab wasn't stupid enough to treat someone with such power like a servant if he didn't have even more powerful friends. But it wasn't fear preventing her from attacking. And Bubblegum was dead either way. Taking a moment, the assassin rose into the air and soared over to the Cotton Candy Tree she'd often hid in, and wrapped her teeth around a leather cord that hung from one of the branches. She lifted it from the tree's clutches to reveal the vial of Dragon's Breath Lemongrab had given her. She then flapped back towards Bubblegum's window and when she landed on the sill, her body started to morph. Once she was completely in Bubblegum's room, she was in her original form, removing her hat to replace the vial around her neck.

The Reaper faced Bubblegum's bed as she replaced her hat, still uncertain about what to do. However, the princess was no longer sleeping. She was sitting up, gazing at the Reaper in terror. Before any sort of explanation could be provided, Bubblegum grabbed for the nearest object to act as a line of defence - a pillow- and yelled, "Guards!"


	6. Elusion

The rapid clicking of the guards' legs as they ran sounded as the Reaper floated above Bubblegum. But that's all she did. She didn't reach back for her axe, she didn't wrap her fingers around the princess' neck, she just... didn't move. It could have been over so very quickly, so very easily. Yet nothing was done.

The Banana Guards burst into Bubblegum's chambers, saw the armed Reaper, and charged at her, staffs outstretched.

"Move away from the princess!" the first guard demanded, but there was no response. Not waiting for one, both guards took a hold of the Reaper's arms and tugged her away from Bubblegum and onto the ground. They tried to force her to her knees, to submit, but she didn't budge. It was like trying to make an imprint of your hand in a slab of solid concrete: impossible. They abandoned their attempts and snatched for the axe strapped to the Reaper's back. This she allowed them to take.

"Your punishment for an assassination attempt will be dire," the second guard snarled. They began dragging the Reaper from Bubblegum's quarters, but before they were past the threshold, Bubblegum called:

"Please don't harm her. Put her in the dungeon for now and I will interrogate her tomorrow."

Nodding obediently, with a trace of disappointment, they pulled the intruder down corridors and spiralling staircases until they were in a stonewalled room lined with gloomy cells. They were all empty and the Reaper was shoved into the closest cage. She feigned a stumble when she was pushed, hoping to hide her true strength, which may have been given away when she refused to be brought to her knees earlier.

"You'll be sorry for trying to attack the princess," the first guard said while he locked the cell. He rattled the door slightly, confirmed that it wouldn't open, and then both sentries marched out of the dungeon.

The thick walls made it much harder for the Reaper to hear what was going on outside of her prison, but she managed to make out the clank of her axe being deposited somewhere nearby. Not that she'd be needing it. At this point, it was as useless as she was.

Lazily, she reached up and lowered her mask, curled her fingers into a fist excluding her pinkie, and drew the digit to her mouth. She began to pick at one of the arches of her gum, removing some apple skin that had been stuck to her fang. Once she snagged it under her nail, she flicked it away, disinterested.

* * *

><p>When Bubblegum rose the next morning, she did so before anyone else. The sun had barely climbed into the sky; stars still flickered in the dusky expanse of blue. The only reason the princess was able to wake up so early was because she hadn't slept. There were too many questions building in her mind and if there was one thing that drove Bubblegum crazy, it was unanswered questions. With her purpose set, she got out of her bed, stepped into her slippers and groped for her Candy Cane. Her ankle felt very stiff, but that didn't stop her as she noiselessly tottered out of her room.<p>

She wasn't meant to use the stairs much while she was still recuperating, but of course, these instructions were ignored like so many others. She knew with all this walking, she was only going to worsen her ankle's condition, but it didn't matter. There was something much more critical at hand. She continued to descend the many steps that would bring her to the dungeon, to the Reaper.

With pain sliding further up her leg, Bubblegum hefted the dungeon door open, trying not to alert the wandering Banana Guards. Knowing that she would sneak out of her chambers, she had ordered them not to position themselves by the dungeon when they had returned to check on her condition after imprisoning the Reaper. The princess had lied and claimed to fear the possibility of more hidden assailants somewhere in the castle and convinced the guards to search all the rooms. She wanted to speak with her assassin alone, and that would never be allowed had she been accompanied.

Bubblegum closed the door silently and was embraced by coldness. She suppressed a tremble as she faced the first cell.

Stripes of light steamed from the small barred opening in the back wall, but it didn't help make much visible. Squinting, Bubblegum could decipher shadowy tendrils dancing in the corner furthest from the window and as her eyes adjusted to the low light in the dungeon, she made out crimson circles gazing at her from beneath the brim of a hat.

Neither woman spoke for a moment, simply watched one another. The princess gripped the handle of her cane tightly and nearly flinched when a soft chuckle escaped the prisoner.

"For an intelligent girl, you sure are stupid for coming here by yourself," the Reaper determined. Her voice wasn't what Bubblegum expected. It wasn't abrasive; it was a smooth sound, like tinkling wind chimes. Focusing on the silhouette of the assassin, the princess could see that she had one arm propped up on her knee, while the other hovered over her extended leg.

"You don't fool me, Axe Reaper," she replied fiercely.

"I didn't know you were a fan."

"Your reputation precedes you, which is why I'm quite perplexed. Am I wrong to believe you have been successful with every assassination?"

"No, you're right. I've never failed."

"Until now," Bubblegum finished.

"There's still time."

The Reaper rose to her feet slowly after she said this and in a flash, she was right in front of Bubblegum. She clasped the bars and smirked fiendishly, flicking out her forked tongue to trace her upper lip.

Swallowing her fear, Bubblegum remained within arm's length and pointed out, "You had plenty of opportunities to do away with me."

"There were no opportunities, Princess. Your guards caught me before I could kill you," the Reaper corrected.

"You're lying," Bubblegum accused.

"Prove it."

Bubblegum, suddenly bold, approached the assassin. She indicated to herself with a sweep of her free hand once she was mere inches from the Reaper.

"Have at me, then," the princess coaxed, digging her nails into her cane anxiously. It seemed she was doing one foolish thing after another this morning. She didn't take her eyes off the opaque goggles the other woman wore, believing she was meeting her gaze. Frowning, the Reaper let go of the bars and slid back into the shadows like a shy wraith.

"Get out of here. Leave me to rot, kill me; it doesn't matter. Just leave," the Reaper dismissed, reclaiming her spot on the floor, the scrape of leather against stone concealing her sigh.

Bubblegum, understanding that she wouldn't be getting much more information and that her subjects would be awake soon, pressed her luck and asked, "Who sent you?"

Her reply was a snort, but it was more than she was anticipating. Aware that she was running out of time, Bubblegum stepped away from the cell and started for the exit, but the clunks of her cane paused as she looked back at the hunched over assassin.

"You won't die," she said.

The Reaper's head shot up, but the princess was already swinging the door shut after herself. She was prepared for death, for the chains of immortality to be stripped from her wrists, but it seemed Bubblegum had something else planned for her. Disgruntled, the Reaper buried her face in her hands and shook her head, hoping it would shift her cluttered thoughts enough to reveal something that made sense.


	7. End It

Bubblegum was haunted by images of a slick blade slicing into her neck, of a kingdom ruled by chaos, and burning blood red circles. The princess had slept for only an hour and even her brief dream had been violent and terrifying. She had seen nothing but the Axe Reaper taking her life and plunging the Candy Kingdom into anarchy.

However, her neck wasn't unhinged and hanging by a single thread of gum and only slight panic had befallen the kingdom as the news about Bubblegum's brush with death spread. The Reaper's capture was sure to exceed the walls of the kingdom and reach other lands, including Lemongrab. Soon all of Ooo would know that the most dangerous assassin was locked in a dungeon made of Candy Stone. Some respect was bound to be earned, but that meant nothing to Bubblegum presently.

What fogged her mind were the rumours about the Reaper. If they were true, she had the strength to break through walls, to shape shift into almost anything of any size. She had proven that when she changed from a bat into a humanoid right before Bubblegum last night. The main question was: why didn't she escape? She was perfectly capable of doing so, that much was clear.

In dire need of answers, Bubblegum decided that she would sneak into the dungeon at an obscene hour again. She knew where most of the secret passages within the castle were, but since she didn't make regular trips to the dungeon, she couldn't recall if there was one in particular that led to a less obvious entrance in the lower levels. Liking the idea of new discoveries, the princess made a mental note to investigate the labyrinth that was her castle later that day.

When she had prepared herself and left her room, cane in hand, Peppermint Butler greeted her with a mountain of mail.

"Messengers have been arriving by the hour, Majesty. Everyone wants to know what will become of the Reaper. What shall our reply be?" he wondered, struggling to see where he was going as the amount of letters he was carrying obscured his vision.

"It will be delayed, as I haven't figured out a proper punishment. What would you suggest?" Bubblegum asked.

"Death," Peppermint answered briskly. Anyone who threatened his princess' life was the enemy, and enemies must be removed.

"Be wary, Peppermint. For all we know, she could have the power to travel between realms. I must find out more about her before we make a decision." Admittedly, Bubblegum knew she was only telling half of the truth. The reasons she had for keeping the Reaper alive were selfish, if nothing else.

"As you wish," the butler relented.

* * *

><p>The Reaper was roused by the sound of something hefty scraping across the ground. She blinked tiredly as she watched the wall in front of her quiver to life. Confused, she focused on the trembling stone that turned out to be a single brick easing forward. When the brick popped out of the wall, Princess Bubblegum poked her head over it and laughed lightly, a cloud of dust lifting from the stone's surface to cover her face. She coughed and wiped her cheek with a handkerchief she had tucked in the collar of her nightgown.<p>

"I knew there was a passage that connected to the dungeon!" she said excitedly, crawling out of the entrance completely and pulling out a purple silk sack behind her.

"That's a good look for you," the Reaper remarked as she eyed the nightgown caked with dirt.

Ignoring her comment, Bubblegum walked up to the Reaper's cell without faltering and offered the sack she had brought. The Reaper took it curiously and opened it to find a variety of red fruits, cakes in containers, and even some fabrics inside.

"You're feeding me?" she questioned incredulously. "That's not really something you do for someone who tried to murder you."

"I know, but you didn't try to murder me, so you shouldn't starve just because everyone thinks you did." Bubblegum wore a kind expression as she spoke and her gaze felt quite penetrative; it made the Reaper nervous.

"You think you can soften me up?" she snapped. "I'm more use to you dead than I am alive; trust me." The Reaper moved to shove the sack back into Bubblegum's hands, but the princess stepped back and waved it away.

"False. I must know why you don't simply break out of here." When the Reaper withdrew her arm, Bubblegum lowered to the cold floor, making herself comfortable in front of the cell, her knees nearly touching the bars. The assassin mimicked her position after a moment and hesitantly dug through the sack the princess had given her and pulled out a worn red scarf. She drained it of colour and then discarded it.

"I know I'm dead either way," she mumbled around a cherry she had impaled on her fang. When she pulled the grey fruit off her pointed canine, she continued, "I'd rather be killed with some shred of dignity instead of running away like a coward."

"It would all work out if you killed me," Bubblegum urged, hoping she would soon find what she sought.

The Reaper stopped feeding. She dropped the bag and leant forward, bumping her forehead against the bars that separated the two. Her hat slipped off and it was then that Bubblegum noticed the woman's bare arms. She scanned the cell and saw that her jacket was blocking the upcoming daylight from creeping in through the window. She looked back and studied the Reaper's skin. It seemed so cold. So... lifeless.

"I can't," she whispered.

"Why?"

Sitting back, the Reaper smiled, but it faded the longer she peered at Bubblegum. She turned her head and scratched her neck, parting enough black hair to make a bite wound apparent to the candy princess. She was thinking carefully about her words, her withheld explanation.

"Because you're too pure," she finally confessed. "I have layers of blood on my hands." She lifted her hands then, palms faced heavenward, and stared at them. Her gloves didn't cover the fact that they were tainted. She glanced up as she fisted them. "I just couldn't add yours to them. I watched you, and I saw how you treated your subjects. I knew even I wasn't evil enough to take you from them."

"If you were truly evil, you would have murdered me," Bubblegum argued.

"I am evil. Don't doubt that," the Reaper warned.

"No, I feel that there is good in you. By sparing my life, you've proven you have a heart," Bubblegum said vehemently, but her confident countenance vanished as a cool hand took hers and pulled it delicately through the bars. Her palm touched the top of the Reaper's breast and her fingers sat beneath a jutting collarbone. Her cheeks grew hot.

"Do you feel one?" the woman asked quietly, the hand she held to her chest blazing through her shirt and warming her skin.

Bubblegum felt nothing. Not a single thump or movement danced beneath the Reaper's ribs, but the princess still gazed into the scarlet goggles that had reappeared in her nightmare and replied gently, "Yes."


	8. Dance in the Dark

"Princess! Princess!" Frantic shouts reverberated throughout the castle as Bubblegum reeled, alarmed by the sudden cries. She nearly dropped the empty bag she'd been holding and spun around, hiding her hands behind her back, beaming cheerily.

"Finn! Jake! What a pleasant surprise! I'm glad to see you back in one piece," she welcomed. The boy and dog raced up to her and all but tackled Bubblegum in a rough hug of greeting.

"Is everything okay? When Jake and I heard about your ankle and the assassin, we came back as fast as we could! We never should have left!" Finn exclaimed in distress, stepping back to examine Bubblegum, who was free of her Candy Cane at last.

"Please don't blame these coincidences on your absence. I'm sure you helped many on your quest throughout Ooo," she said, no longer trying to hide the bag she had as Jake had already sniffed it out and plucked it from the princess' grasp, peeking inside in search of something to eat.

Disappointed, he gave it back to Bubblegum and muttered, "Yeah, we did; we got a bunch of stuff, but I kinda dropped some of it into a bottomless abyss." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Man, I told you to stretch down there. What if it wasn't bottomless?" Finn shot back.

"It smelt gross dude, shut up," Jake snapped and Bubblegum giggled, happy to have the entertaining heroes back home; she had missed them.

"The Reaper is imprisoned and I have healed from my injury; all is well," Bubblegum assured and Finn's worried features faded as he brought his fist to his heart and bowed.

"Princess, Jake and I will guard you until you've gotten rid of the baddest of dames in Ooo," Finn pledged and Jake nodded in agreement.

"That won't be necessary, Finn. You should both rest after your journey, but I promise to call you if there is any trouble and, of course, you're free to visit."

"Radical! Oh, wait a sec." Finn clicked his fingers, swung his backpack off, and rummaged through it until he produced a pink ball of yarn. "Jake didn't manage to lose this. The villager we saved said it's some kind of magical yarn that will never run out. I remember you saying you liked to knit, so..." Finn held out the ball, blushing madly as Bubblegum grasped it with piqued fascination. It felt much softer than the typical yarn she bought and she clutched it to her chest appreciatively.

"Oh, thank you, Finn. You're so thoughtful." Bubblegum leant down and pressed her lips against his rosy cheek. The boy laughed bashfully. When the princess straightened and gave the yarn to Peppermint Butler to put in her room, she caught Jake elbowing Finn in the side as he winked suggestively. Finn's crush on Bubblegum was painfully obvious to everyone, but he was never willing to admit his feelings. He was still young and easily overcome by his emotions, so Bubblegum only viewed his affection as harmless puppy love.

"You're welcome, Princess."

"Should I leave you two alone?" Jake teased and Finn punched him in the arm.

"I actually am very busy, guys. Kingdoms that haven't acknowledged our existence at all in the past have suddenly requested to form an alliance, and many want an invitation to the Reaper's unconfirmed decapitation. I have meetings to attend, choices to make, a kingdom to rule; there isn't much time to hang out with you, even though I would like to," Bubblegum regrettably informed.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Finn asked.

"Actually, Finn, there is," Bubblegum realised, a smile glinting through her growing stress. "I need you to go to the library and find any number of books you can about vampires."

"V-vampires?" Jake cowered and stepped closer to Finn, as if his friend could protect him from the word itself.

"Yes, it seems I don't have any sufficient information about vampires in any of my books." Her personal collection was limited to scientific textbooks, to numerous rules of etiquette specific to a range of species, and many other topics, but none carried more than a mention of a vampire.

"We'll do that for you Peebles, no problem. But why vampires?" Finn questioned.

"No particular reason, Finn," Bubblegum replied amiably, patting his shoulder reassuringly.

Jake still appeared afraid as he and Finn said their goodbyes and left Bubblegum to resume her previous task of sneaking red things from the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Bubblegum had hauled more than food with her as she crawled out of the secret entrance. She didn't need to bring as much sometimes, because she had her reluctant guards give the Reaper a meal every second night, but other than that small visit, they were forbidden from entering the dungeon. Everyone now believed that the once legendary assassin was far too weak to harm anyone. Kingdoms rejoiced and sent many death proposals, which varied from lifetime imprisonment to a unifying stoning, in which leaders from all over the Land of Ooo would visit to stone the Reaper until she was battered beyond recognition. These brutal messages made Princess Bubblegum recoil and she ended up avoiding her mail and left it to Peppermint Butler to read.<p>

"Whatcha got there?" The Reaper asked from her bed, arms supporting her head as she had reclaimed her jacket and looped her pillow through the bars on the window. Instead of an answer, the chime of keys brought the woman into a sitting position and she found Bubblegum standing in front of the door to her cell. The latch clicked and the princess pulled the door open and stepped in.

She ignored the Reaper and went to her window, pulled the pillow out from its confines, and lifted a board she'd carried in with her.

"Oh, butternuts," she cursed. "It's much too big. I should have recorded the measurements instead of assuming." Bubblegum further scolded herself internally for a moment, but her thoughts halted when a breeze ruffled her nightgown. A chill prickled her skin as a leather-clad arm reached around her and ceased the thin sheet of wood from her hands. The body she felt so closely behind her moved and she looked over her shoulder to find the Reaper running a single pointed nail along the length of the board, then across the width.

Bubblegum stepped aside and the assassin lifted the board, pressing it into the small space of the window. It wasn't a perfect fit, but she managed to squeeze it in so it didn't reveal any of the creeping light from outside.

"I'm sorry that I didn't realise what you were sooner. I would have made your living arrangements more-"

"Stop."

The Reaper swung around to find the princess now perched on her bed, biting her lip to silence herself. She was outraged by the generosity, the kindness, because she knew she didn't deserve it.

"What's wrong with you? I'm a _murderer_. Don't you understand? I kill people for a living; I take lives for nearly any form of payment. Why are you treating me like this?" she yelled, advancing on Bubblegum until she was towering over the smaller woman.

"Because something tells me you don't want to live the way you do, that you want to change," Bubblegum replied.

"You don't know anything about me!" the Reaper snarled.

"I just think that-"

"Don't think!" She cut Bubblegum off again. "Don't come back here! I swear, if I see you in here again, I won't be held accountable for my actions," she hissed, fangs bared, hair flailing wildly behind her, like black fire.

What happened next was not what the Reaper was expecting. Instead of fleeing in fear, instead of obeying, Bubblegum cupped the assassin's hand between both of hers, a smile on her face.

"I'm not afraid of you," she declared.

The Reaper didn't move.

She refused to look away, to blink. The red tint of her goggles didn't veil a single emotion that shone in the princess' eyes. She had no ulterior motive, no ill-intentions. What could she possibly gain from any of this?

With her rage dissipating, the Reaper removed her hand from Bubblegum's clutch and collapsed next to the princess on her bed and mumbled, "I wish you would be." She was trying so hard to get rid of Bubblegum, but it seemed the monarch was stuck to her like, well, gum.

"I don't mean to trouble you. I honestly can't explain why I don't feel threatened when I'm around you, or why exactly I feel that you should have a second chance. What I do know is that my instincts are rarely ever wrong, so I will trust them unless you give me reason not to." Bubblegum handed the Reaper the food she'd taken from the kitchen and received a small thanks.

After draining an apple, she asked, "What're you gonna do with me?"

"I haven't quite figured that out yet," Bubblegum returned, watching intently as the Reaper piled colourless items next to her until she'd finished everything. She scooped the pile back into the sack and placed it on Bubblegum's lap to dispose of on her way back to her room. The princess didn't grab the opening quickly enough and a strawberry tumbled out. She caught it before it fell to the ground and then lifted it up to inspect.

The candles on the wall outside of the cell flickered and she could feel the Reaper's eyes on her as she took a bite of the grey fruit.

"Oh! It doesn't taste any different! Remarkable!" Grinning, she faced the Reaper to find the woman's mouth stretched into a thin line, as if holding something back. Her cheek twitched the longer she stared at Bubblegum, until, just like that, a smile exploded across her face. There was no usual strain; she looked genuinely amused.

"You're a strange girl," she remarked.

"As are you." Bubblegum mirrored the Reaper's unfaltering smile, relaxing and leaning back against the hard wall. Hoping not to spoil their bonding moment, the princess tentatively asked, "What's your real name?"

The Reaper's fangs glinted in the candlelight as her smile morphed into a mischievous smirk and she waved her hand. The candles lost their flame and Bubblegum gasped as the weight on the bed shifted. The shadows she could hardly decipher all seemed to be moving, but before she could blindly stand to find some light, the candles blazed to life once more and she started when the assassin was now floating in front of her, bent over at the waist so their faces nearly touched.

"I'm Marceline," she whispered, her tone enticing an unsolicited shiver from Bubblegum. "And you?"

"Bonnibel," she responded, but quickly added, "Though my friends usually call me Bubblegum."

Marceline reclined in the air and tested the princess' forename on her lips. She liked how it sounded, how it tasted, and decided she'd use it as frequently as she could. She drifted overhead, unsure whether sharing her name was the best idea. Swapping personal details was never wise, but Marceline had broken many rules these last few days already and didn't see the point in living by them anymore when Death was breathing heavily down her neck.

She glanced at the princess, wondering why she was suddenly so quiet, only to find the woman sprawled across her bed. She'd been so exhausted that she'd passed out.

Guilt writhed in Marceline's chest and she landed soundlessly before Bubblegum - watching. She was either naive or exceptionally trusting, or perhaps both. She cared too much and Marceline once considered that to be a weakness, but Bubblegum somehow proved that she was still strong. Her strength wasn't physical, it wasn't something that brutally overpowered; it was inside her, soft and sweet. It had touched Marceline more than she was willing to admit, more than she wanted to allow.

Careful not to wake her, the vampire dug her hands under Bubblegum's body and lifted her slowly from the bed, handling her like one would a porcelain doll. She balanced the sleeping princess against her with a single arm, snatched at the bag of drained food, and floated out of her cell, closing and locking it behind her.


	9. Stirrings

Princess Bubblegum couldn't understand her draw towards Marceline. There was something beyond her reach that had planted itself in her mind and no matter how she went about trying to unearth it, she came up empty handed every time. Marceline's fanged smile, her lazy posture, her grace; she was captivating somehow. Bubblegum had been studying vampires and they were said to be vicious, unethical, and very, very dangerous creatures. Marceline's reputation proved her to be these things, but none of the books Finn and Jake had brought back provided enough details to help Bubblegum figure out if Marceline's kindness was genuine, or a manipulation.

The books did contain some interesting "facts" about vampires, however. There was said to be two breeds: Mortals and immortals. The mortals were the product of two vampire parents and were capable of aging (slowly after reaching eighteen) and eating more than just shades of red, but lacked many abilities such as flight and shape shifting. The book had continued to say that a vampire rarely chose to remain mortal; they either sold their soul for immortality, or were bitten by an immortal vampire. Either way, the soul would be taken and great power and eternal life would be granted.

Bubblegum had seen the two punctures in Marceline's neck and wondered how rude it would be to ask for details about how the bite was acquired. She also pondered asking Marceline whether any of the things in her books were true, but wasn't sure if she'd be willing to confirm them. So many questions...

Bubblegum was convinced that if she remained courteous and friendly, Marceline might give her some information. Finn and Jake had suggested a different approach and had begged to meet Marceline, to "rough her up" so she'd expose her employer and anything else Bubblegum wanted to know, but it would be unavailing. Whoever had sent Marceline had enough power to keep her quiet. Plus she might not take kindly to being attacked or threatened and the last thing Bubblegum wanted was two injured, or dead, heroes.

The castle guards had relaxed when no further problems arose. They had attended a staged exchange between Marceline and Bubblegum and the vampire not only avoided every question, she sounded very frail when she spoke. She emphasised her "weakened state" by rasping and wheezing when the princess interrogated her. The guards were highly amused, but whenever they spoke against the assassin, Bubblegum would sharply silence them.

When she requested a moment alone with Marceline, they bowed and moved to wait outside of the dungeon, wounded from the lecture Bubblegum had given them about maintaining a professional demeanour no matter the circumstance.

The second they were unaccompanied, Marceline lifted into the air and floated towards the bars, where Bubblegum stood grinning.

"You should become an actress; I actually believed you were dying," the princess complimented.

"Technically, I'm already dead."

Bubblegum glanced at the uncovered window in the cell. Marceline took down the board at night or whenever the guards entered to feed her or check on her condition. "Is it dark enough in here during the day?"

Marceline cleared her throat before replying then rubbed her neck, palm scrubbing nervously at her scars. "Yeah... thanks for... you know," she said, clearly uncomfortable. She hadn't had any recent use for manners and found it difficult to use them after so long. She felt her cheeks gathering heat and was unaware that they visibly changed to a livelier colour.

"Are you blushing?" Bubblegum teased and the vampire huffed and spun around.

"No! Get outta here before your guards realise you're being chummy with the prisoner," she demanded hotly and Bubblegum laughed.

"I'll see you the same time this morning?"

"Whatever you want, Princess," Marceline dismissed.

Bubblegum left, smiling.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Bubblegum wrote a letter that would work as a general response to all the kingdoms that had sent her a message about Marceline. She informed them that the Axe Reaper would remain in the Candy Kingdom until she died in her cell or until Bubblegum figured out a method of killing her that wouldn't allow her to return in another form. The princess hinted that the Reaper was thought to wield magic, but because of the restrictive spell on the dungeon, no magic could be used so it may be the only possible way to contain her. She hated lying to everyone, but it didn't feel treacherous or despicable and her people weren't in imminent danger, so it wasn't wrong. Right?<p>

Bubblegum was swamped with uncertainty. She could not deny that Marceline could be charming her until it was safe to escape. Maybe the princess really was too trusting. Maybe it was all a game.

She sighed and scribbled her signature on the letter, then pushed it aside, planning to convert it into a holographic file the next day to send out. She was going to go to bed for a few hours before visiting Marceline, as her sleep deprivation had finally worn her out; her performance wasn't at its usual calibre and Bubblegum wasn't one to let herself slip.

She readied herself for bed and when she checked her reflection in her dresser's mirror, she noticed her tiara was still hugging her head. She reached up to remove it, but started when it lifted off by itself. It floated backwards and when she twisted around, there was Marceline, dangling the golden headpiece playfully.

Bubblegum didn't comment right away, but kept glancing over her shoulder at the mirror and back at Marceline.

"Why is it that I can't see you or your clothes, but I see that vial around your neck?" she asked, stunned.

Marceline placed the tiara on the dresser, tugged the Dragon's Breath out of her shirt, and answered, "It's a spell I had cast on my clothes; I was tired of losing them, or ripping them when I changed form, so I had them enchanted to basically become a part of me. It's called a blending spell, I think. I haven't had it cast on the vial and cord yet."

"It must be some powerful magic," Bubblegum determined and faced Marceline fully, examining the Dragon's Breath before the vampire tucked it away again.

"I'm, uh, sorry to come busting in like this. I can go back to my cell, if you want."

Again, the nervous neck rub.

"I don't mind; it saves me the trip. I already have your food in my nightstand's bottom drawer; help yourself."

Marceline didn't go over to the nightstand. She perched on the corner of Bubblegum's bed and watched her. At least, the princess _thought _she was watching her.

Bubblegum wasn't sure how to bring up her thirst for the truth. During her trips to the dungeon, she hadn't worried about what she said and so far it always ended in Marceline telling her to get lost, but tonight, she didn't want to stir up the vampire. She wanted peace and that gentle smile she'd seen fleetingly touch Marceline's lips once or twice.

She wordlessly sat beside Marceline, swallowing a yawn as she tried not to unleash her wave of questions. Her inquisitive nature had landed her on the bad side of many, simply because her measures to acquire answers were too "forward". When the prospect of new information arose, passion overtook chivalry. She invaded personal space, asked inappropriate questions, and lost herself in rants about what she already knew about the topic, which, most of the time, was usually something.

Her current obsession: vampires. It wasn't her fault, not at all, that she had developed such a strong liking for them. She turned to the culprit who was smiling expectantly.

"Is there something you want to know?" she invited and Bubblegum brightened instantly.

"There is _so much_ I want to know, Marceline. Where to start?" she exaggerated.

"Don't get your hopes up, Princess."

"I've been researching vampires and was wondering how much of the information is correct. For instance, garlic. Does that harm you?"

"Ah, so this is your way of finding out my true weaknesses," Marceline said, rising from the bed. Before Bubblegum could deny it, the vampire whipped around and pointed at her. "You never cared about me!" she accused.

"No, I do-"

"You just wanted to find out how to destroy me!" she yelled and her body began to ripple, as if small bubbles were growing and popping under her skin. She grew, twitched, contorted; hair exploded and overtook every inch of her. She was hunched over, so Bubblegum was nearly flicked in the face when two pointed ears emerged from the vampire's head. The shift was fast and in only a few moments, the figure in front of Bubblegum was unrecognisable.

When Marceline unfolded herself, Bubblegum was looking at a werewolf with savage red eyes. She wanted to speak, to protest, but she was petrified. Large hands fitted with sharp claws grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her back onto the bed, while a deep rumble vibrated in Marceline's throat. She lowered herself on top of Bubblegum, causing the edge of the bed to sink under her weight, but her knees locked against the princess' hips, keeping her from slipping off as she leant down, opening her jaws.

Bubblegum closed her eyes, preparing for her face to be bitten off by a temperamental vampire-wolf. She should have seen this coming. Something cold and slick ran up her cheek and she assumed it was Marceline's nose. She braced herself, ready for the bite to follow, holding her breath, waiting. But the heaviness atop her disappeared. No teeth shredded her skin and no ghostly breath tickled her face.

She dared to peek open an eye.

Marceline was hovering above her, hair spilling over her shoulders, encasing the princess in shivers of silk. She was smiling, all teeth and creased cheeks.

"Gotcha," she said amicably, poking Bubblegum in the nose.

The princess sat up, glaring furiously.

"That wasn't funny, Marceline! I thought I actually offended you!"

"Really? That's what you were worried about? My _feelings_?"

Bubblegum shifted, clasping her hands on her lap, lips pursed childishly. "Well...yes."

Marceline dropped back on Bubblegum's bed, arms folded behind her head as she lounged back on a pillow. "Cute," she mocked.

"You never answered my question," the princess pointed out, ignoring the condescension.

"Oh, right. Yeah, garlic stings, but it doesn't kill us. I haven't met many other vampires, but if they're strong enough, beheading them won't kill them, but a stab to the heart will. A stake, a sword, whatever," she disregarded, indifferently cracking one of her knuckles.

"Such mysterious creatures..." Bubblegum said, enthralled.

"I guess so. You better get some sleep now, Bonnibel. I actually came up here to tell you not to bother waking up early to come see me."

"But I'm not fatigued," Bubblegum argued.

"Don't lie to a vampire. We can always tell," Marceline warned in a dark voice, but broke out into laughter afterwards. She felt so at ease around Bubblegum; it was uplifting. "Just sleep in, okay?"

"You'll come back here tomorrow night," Bubblegum stated, standing up and walking towards her nightstand. She opened the bottom draw and produced the familiar purple sack stuffed with food. Marceline took it, drifted up into the air, and bowed.

"As you wish, Your Highness," she said.

Then she was gone. The only indication of her presence was the breeze her exit had caused; it caught a damp area on the princess' face, chilling it briefly. Bubblegum cupped her cheek in bewilderment, but then she recalled what had happened earlier and gasped, horrified.

"Did she _lick_ my face?"


	10. South of the Mind

It all started with a jacket. It had been innocent enough, sweet even, but somehow it landed Bubblegum in the bathroom's doorway with a pair of jeans and a sweater in her arms, gaping at the naked back of Marceline. She'd only meant to sneak in and briskly drape the clothes over the towel rack, but a black flash distracted her and she peered in the direction of the movement. Marceline had forgotten to close the shower curtain and she had her hair splashed over her shoulder as she scrubbed at her head, back entirely exposed to Bubblegum. Her shoulder blades danced as she washed her hair and, without meaning to, the princess followed the path of Marceline's spine and so on, until she reached her feet.

Realising that she was ogling, Bubblegum quickly slung the clothes over the towel rack and left the bathroom, face flushed.

All day she'd been tending to her people, who had recently caught a new sickness that originated from the Slime Kingdom. The Candy People had developed slick surfaces and slime was oozing from their mouth, nose, and ears. It had something to do with contaminated food and now the Slime Flu was sweeping the land. Bubblegum had been working on a serum that would not only cure her people of the flu, but also prevent them from getting it again.

Between comforting the ill, preparing for the upcoming Grand Meeting of Ooo Royalty, and concocting an antidote, Bubblegum had very little time to think about the vampire in the dungeon. The vampire that was meant to be a monster, the vampire that, despite her past, managed to uplift Bubblegum's spirits. Her personality was trickling out for the princess to see, to admire, but Bubblegum tried to convince herself that Marceline was still dangerous, no matter how safe and charismatic she seemed.

But that night when she entered her room, Bubblegum was delighted to find Marceline sprawled across her bed, limbs outstretched. She grinned, goggles glinting in the lamplight as she tilted her head towards the princess.

"I hope your guards aren't always this lenient," she said, crossing one leg over the other. Her boots had been haphazardly kicked off by Bubblegum's nightstand, who sat by the vampire and yawned.

"No, they're only like this under my orders. It confused them at first, but I suppose they stopped viewing you as a threat and relaxed when you didn't try to break out," she explained.

"It's true," Marceline murmured thoughtfully.

"What is?"

"I'm not a threat to you," she affirmed with a pleasant smile.

"No, I don't think you are," Bubblegum returned, studying the stretched lips and sharp teeth that didn't induce even a thread of fear inside her. Was her unguarded behaviour foolish? She shivered then, the colder weather being too recent for her to think to wear a warmer gown. Marceline noticed this and removed her jacket, bending forward so she could place it over Bubblegum's shoulders. She stopped herself.

"Sorry. You'd probably rather be cold than dirty, right?" she asked, realising the state of her apparel. She'd worn the same thing for so long. Her enchanted clothes were slow to deteriorate, but they still needed to be washed from time to time. The vampire hadn't showered since she'd started this mission. Well, technically, she had been caught in the rain, so that counted. Sort of.

"I don't mind," Bubblegum assured, grabbing the sleeves of Marceline's jacket and tugging them down so that it landed over her shoulders. It wasn't warm at first, but it eventually reflected her body heat and she sighed. "How improper of me," she chastised.

"What's that?"

"It's not too late, so please feel free to use the bathroom to shower and I will lend you some clothes while I have these washed," Bubblegum said, indicating to what Marceline was currently wearing.

"Princess, no, it's cool, I-"

"You'll smell like a corpse soon," she interjected. Marceline stood from the bed and walked towards the bathroom, looking over her shoulder as she swept off her hat.

"I already am one."

She closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>As Marceline came out, Bubblegum's clothes hanging loosely from her lanky body, the princess frowned when she saw that, despite this casual appearance, Marceline still wore her goggles. She'd only been able to imagine what kind of hard gaze Marceline had, which, Bubblegum thought, was silly considering she'd already seen the vampire's butt.<p>

"Take those off," Bubblegum ordered lightly. Marceline smirked and then shrugged.

"If you say so," she consented, reaching for the loaned pale yellow sweater and started pulling it up, her taut stomach peeking out through the slit that grew as she raised the sweater higher and higher.

"No, no! I didn't mean that," Bubblegum mended, quickly pointing to the vampire's face. "I meant your eyewear."

The smirk fell from Marceline's face like her sweater fell to circle her hips. She made no move to take off her goggles and she drifted into the air uncomfortably.

"I'd rather be a faceless murderer, Bonnibel. You can't hide me forever, you know; I'll have to leave soon."

"I don't want you to go..."

"Why?"

"I just don't."

"Do you expect me to sneak out of my cell every night to come see you? To let you feed me?" She roughly grabbed at the sweater she wore and proceeded: "Clothe me? Care for me like I'm a useless kid? Am I to remain your secret?" Marceline interrogated petulantly.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Bubblegum countered, furious because she truly didn't want Marceline to leave, but she didn't see any options other than the ones the vampire had listed.

Marceline wasn't prepared for Bubblegum's question and with an engulfing bout of hopelessness, she sank back down to the ground. Her jaw clenched tightly as her bare feet hit the carpet and her fangs pierced her bottom lip- blood trickled down her chin. With a swipe of her thumb, Bubblegum caught the drop of red, and a rusty smear was left in its place.

"Until either of us know the answer, please," she clutched Marceline's arm, "stay with me."

The vampire didn't speak, and she didn't show any gesture of agreement. She maintained her glacial silence while she slowly floated over to the chamber door. Saddened, Bubblegum glanced away and informed dejectedly, "I'll make sure to give you your clothes before the guards check on you tomorrow."

When she looked back up, she was alone.


	11. The Cave of Two Lovers

Things changed. Since Bubblegum no longer stayed up late to entertain her nightly guest, she had time to relapse into the routine she lived by before the Candy Kingdom had Marceline as a prisoner. It seemed lonelier than usual. Her relationships had always been professional, so when a casual friendship had begun to blossom, the princess realised in its absence that she'd been yearning for someone like Marceline. Not necessarily an assassin, but not a hero, or a subject, just... a friend. Even having an argument with the vampire would be better than being ignored. All she did was eat, sleep, sometimes sneak out for a shower, but regardless of the activity, she never uttered a word to Bubblegum. A "thanks" at most.

Marceline had been alive for a long time, or so rumours say, and the princess found her cowardice ridiculous. She wasn't afraid to die, so Bubblegum's main question was why Marceline stayed if she was unhappy with her situation.

And that's when Bubblegum had an idea.

She stopped counting, dropped her knitting needles and her project, then stood up. Peppermint Butler had said goodnight, which meant she could leave her room without him finding out.

Down the still lit halls she crept, wincing whenever her slipper-clad foot pressed against a sensitive floorboard that groaned under her weight.

The entrance to the secret passage leading to the dungeon hid beneath a rug in a rarely used room. It was a trapdoor with two small holes in it. Rope attached to the rug occupied the holes so that once Bubblegum entered the secret passage, she could close the door and pull the rug back over it using the rope.

Most of the Candy Kingdom ran on electricity, but the less frequented areas, like the dungeon, were reliant on candles. This passage, however, was brought alight by glowing gems embedded in the walls. They created a path straight to the dungeon and Bubblegum was very interested in the purpose of this secret tunnel. When she first used it, her torch had died and that's how she found out about the gems. They didn't shine when exposed to light, which meant whoever constructed the passage didn't want people to know where it led, as there were many gemless diverging routes.

When she came to a walled dead-end, she shouldered the loose brick in the corner, moving it forward an itch. With all the times she'd done this, Bubblegum thought it would get easier, but it was still strenuous. She pressed harder against the stone, only for it to slip forward like it was an ice cube. The princess stumbled to the hard ground and saw Marceline holding the large brick. She placed it next to her, wiped her dirty hands on her jeans, and crouched, gripping Bubblegum's arm. She hoisted the princess out of the passage and to her feet.

"Thank you," Bubblegum said.

"Yeah."

Marceline's facemask was in place and she floated back into her cell - a tame bird.

"Go no further." Marceline stopped at Bubblegum's command. "I know it's only been just over a week since you arrived here, but I've decided to let you go."

"Huh?"

"To free you," she rephrased. The vampire whipped around.

"That'll make the Candy Kingdom's reputation golden," Marceline said sarcastically.

"It will if everyone thinks you died."

"Bonnibel..."

"No, I'm serious. It's clear you don't want to be here and I'm sick of you treating me like a ghost. We're going to fake your death and you're going to leave this kingdom. If you reveal that you're alive, you'll cause me and yourself a lot of trouble. I might have wars to quell and you'll have bounty hunters on your tail now that everyone knows you are attainable."

"I can always shape shift, you know."

"You won't be the Candy Kingdom's responsibility anymore," Bubblegum maintained firmly, fixing red circles with a hard look.

"You really want me to go?"

"I'm not entirely sure why you haven't left on your own, but now you have a cover."

"You'll be a criminal if you do this."

"So be it."

* * *

><p>Kingdoms everywhere celebrated when news of the Reaper's death reached them. Many wished to attend the funeral of the assassin, but it was a private burial in which the spirit of the Reaper would be wished a safe trip into the Otherworld like any recently deceased citizen. It was the proper thing to do, no matter how harshly most of the Candy People protested.<p>

Bubblegum was at the cemetery, conducting the funeral, as no priest wished to offer any sort of positive prayer for Marceline. So there was the Candy Princess, standing before the coffin that contained the frozen body of her secret friend. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason, a part of her felt that Marceline was really gone. When she saw how still the vampire was on the floor of her cell, how limp her body was, it was hard to believe that it was all a charade.

What the assassin chose to do now was no longer Bubblegum's concern, but she couldn't help but worry and wonder. There were still so many things the princess wanted to find out about Marceline. Like how she was turned into an immortal, and who bit her and why.

These were the things Bubblegum would never know.

The coffin lowered into the earth, swallowed whole. It disappeared under the raining dirt the Candy Folk eagerly kicked and shovelled atop the lid and soon enough, there remained only a rectangle of freshly disturbed soil.

A poorly made gravestone sat at its head and chiselled into it was:

**The Axe Reaper**

**Feared by all**

**Loved by none**

Bubblegum wished Marceline an unobstructed journey into the wings of the Cosmic Owl, and when she finished, everyone cheered. There was nothing she could do to stop the joy, or her sadness. Even though Marceline wasn't really dead, she still wouldn't be around anymore.

To Bubblegum, Marceline would forever be buried in the ground. The few memories they shared would be in that coffin along with its temporary occupant and that's it. The first exciting thing to happen to Bubblegum in years only lasted a week and left her feeling like she was kicked in the stomach. She should never have given in to her curiosity that night and visited the dungeon alone. She would never have viewed Marceline as a wounded spirit in need of a caring hand to wrench her from the darkness.

It seemed silly when Bubblegum thought about it. She actually believed she could change someone who had been a killer for centuries. If anything was close to impossible, it was that. Why was she always enticed by such gruelling challenges?

She left the cemetery, feeling as if someone really had died, and considered what to do with the vampire's axe. She didn't want to encourage Marceline to continue with her past life under a new alias, so destroying the weapon was a very appealing option.

However, Bubblegum didn't go through with it. She left the axe among all the castle's dusty weaponry and confiscated treasures, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Marceline would return to retrieve it.

That didn't happen. Three days after the funeral and there were no mishaps. Not even the Ice King popped up, probably because the inhumane death Marceline had suffered spooked him into hiding. He hadn't known how cold Bubblegum could be; it was enough to repel even him.

Although, things weren't too dull, because there was the exuberant Finn to keep the princess occupied. He always spoke animatedly of his most recent adventures and Jake cleaned out the fridge, pretending to pay attention to the conversation.

It was currently nightfall and Finn and Jake were in one of the castle's various parlours with Bubblegum. Finn had his hands webbed with yarn as Bubblegum knitted and Jake napped by her feet. Finn watched the princess' fingers intently, still a little clumsy, but exhibiting growing skill. His eyes travelled up her arm, to her shoulder and then to her face, creased with concentration and complimented by a relaxed smile. She enjoyed what she was doing.

Finn blushed and shifted on the stool he had pulled up next to Bubblegum's armchair. He'd blame his flushed skin on the crackling fire they sat in front of if anyone asked. He could've admired Bubblegum's beauty all night if she remained immersed in her knitting and it would be wonderful.

Suddenly, a blur of black behind Bubblegum alarmed him and he tore his gaze away from the princess to determine whether his eyes were just playing tricks on him. He blinked a few times, squinted, and blinked again. He wasn't sure if he was seeing things or not. He carefully untangled his fingers from the yarn and pointed at Bubblegum's shoulder.

"Hey, PB, what's that?" Finn asked, not sure if what his finger was aimed at was dangerous or not. It wasn't doing anything sketchy, but it didn't look totally harmless; it had fangs.

Bubblegum turned her head to see what Finn was talking about and nearly threw her knitting project on the floor with happiness and relief.

There on her shoulder perched a bat, its red eyes inspecting the boy and dog. Before Bubblegum could reply, it crawled down her arm and the princess placed her knitting needles and her work in progress on the table beside her so that she could cup the bat in both hands.

"This is a special friend of mine, Finn," she said warmly, daring to trace her thumb down the animal's soft back. It made a small snorting noise in response and jumped out of Bubblegum's grasp. It plummeted to the floor and landed on Jake's nose. His eyes flew open, and, upon seeing the bat, he shrieked and started crying out for help as he rolled around on the carpet.

The bat clung to his snout, hissing, and Finn was trying to calm him down so he could remove the creature, but Jake kept kicking him as he flailed. Bubblegum watched the scene for a second before she flooded the fire-lit room with laughter.

Finn and Jake stopped making a commotion and stared at the princess. They'd never heard her laugh so hard before and couldn't help but join in. If not for the noisy glee, the trio would've noticed the small chuckles the bat emitted as well.

When they settled and the bat was removed from Jake's nose, the heroes stood and stretched their stiff limbs.

"It's about time we went home, right Jake?" Finn asked, nudging the dog so he'd stop glaring at the bat and pay attention

"Mmm, yeah," he grunted.

"A'ight. Well, it's been sweet Peebs. We'll see you around." Finn waved and then grabbed Jake's jowl, tugging it until he moved and ended the staring contest he'd initiated with the small animal now on Bubblegum's lap.

"Rock on, my batty bro," Finn called out as he left the parlour, still hauling Jake along.

When their voices faded down the hall, Marceline stretched out and her body burst into its original form. She was still on Bubblegum's lap and she snaked an arm around the princess' neck, grinning as she said, "Hey, baby. Miss me?"

"Get off me," Bubblegum said blankly.

The vampire drifted into the air, her hair flicking Bubblegum in the face on her way up.

"What are you doing here? I let you go."

"Exactly," Marceline agreed.

Bubblegum raised an eyebrow, waiting for the vampire to elaborate. Marceline landed by the small table beside the armchair Bubblegum was still sitting in and picked up the knitting needles. She handed them to the princess and then sat on the stool by Bubblegum's knee, wrapping the yarn around her long fingers.

"I'm here to hang out. That's all," she said.

"But why? I thought you didn't like me..." Bubblegum, not wanting to look at the vampire's face, started to knit. Even though she wore those insufferable goggles, Bubblegum still felt pressured under Marceline's gaze.

"Well, uh, that's not true." A blush lit up Marceline's cheeks and her boots creaked as she adjusted her feet nervously.

"Did something happen?"

"Sorta."

"What?"

"When I was in the coffin, I heard everyone cheer after the funeral ended. Usually stuff like that never bothers me; I haven't felt pain inside for a long time, Bonnibel. But that changed." Bubblegum waited for her to continue, because she was evidently struggling to articulate her problem. "It's you," she managed. "You've done something to me. You made me feel something I haven't felt for a thousand years."

"And that is?"

"Guilt. I felt guilty about all the lives I've taken."

"How am I to blame for that?"

"You didn't treat me like a monster, so I stopped feeling like one. Why?" Marceline asked, her voice cracking.

Bubblegum had never considered Marceline to be as vulnerable as she was at that moment and she freed herself of her knitting project and removed the string from Marceline's fingers, covering them with her own as she replied, "Because a part of me knew you wanted to be more than that." Then she smiled slyly. "Now, it looks like you could use a hug."

"A... hug? No way. Keep your mitts off me!" Marceline cried, trying to launch off the stool, but Bubblegum grabbed her arms as she stood up.

"Come on, hug me," Bubblegum coaxed, invading Marceline's personal space, waiting. The vampire grumbled something, still trying to half-heartedly resist, but the princess didn't budge.

Sighing, she scooped Bubblegum into her arms, who giggled at her childish behaviour and returned the embrace.

Her head rested under Marceline's chin and her cheek pressed into her chest. It was comfortable and pleasant.

"They're happy I'm gone," Marceline whispered, her grip tightening.

"I wasn't happy."

"Me neither."


	12. Womanchild

A week went by and little by little, Marceline revealed her secrets.

A month went by and the biggest secret of all was still untold.

Three months went by and Marceline still couldn't tell Bubblegum who hired her.

Tonight, Bubblegum prepared a meal for Marceline. The vampire always insisted that she could get food herself, but every now and again Bubblegum wanted to feed her something decent.

The curtains stirred and Bubblegum glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see Marceline, but found nothing. She moved to the window to confirm nobody was there, only for her vision to be taken from her as cool hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who?" asked a monstrous voice, but the princess wasn't fooled.

"I don't even know why you bother, Marceline," she said amusedly.

"Glob, you have to spoil everything, don't you?" Sapped of fun, the vampire dropped her hands and landed by the window, dipping her head outside to shake off the snowflakes that speckled her hair. When she drew back inside and faced Bubblegum, the princess noticed she still had white dotting her mane. Bubblegum brushed the snow off, but recoiled when her fingers touched the chilled point of Marceline's ear.

"You need to be warmed up," Bubblegum said.

"The weather doesn't bother me much, don't worry," Marceline replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, I worried a little..." Bubblegum bit her lip, suppressing a smile. Then she went to her bed and picked up something wrapped in bright paper. She gave it to the vampire, who rotated the gift in her hand curiously. It was decorated with smiling ice cream cones and whatever was inside was soft and sagged over the edges of Marceline's palm.

She tore the wrapping off and a lump of pink fabric was uncovered. She unfolded it.

"It's a beanie. I've been trying to make you something since I got that ball of endless yarn. I haven't been knitting for long, though, so I apologise for the quality."

Silently, Marceline took off her snow-laden hat and tugged the beanie over her head. It warmed her ears and she floated over to Bubblegum's dresser and the beanie and vial around her neck were the only things she could see. White stitches adorned one side of the beanie, making the shape of a heart and Marceline glanced at Bubblegum's bandaged fingers and then back at her lack of a reflection, regret and gratitude mingling achingly in her chest.

"Do you like it?" Bubblegum asked hopefully.

"It's perfect." Marceline ran a loving hand over her gift and turned around, arms spread. "C'mere, nerd."

Bubblegum grinned and rushed into Marceline's arms. She was damp from the snow and smelt like cut grass. The bitter non-candy-laced kind, something beyond the lands Bubblegum rarely left.

"Thank you, Bonni."

"I know you told me not to, but I have some food for you as well."

"If you spoil me too much, I may never leave," Marceline murmured into the princess' hair.

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing," Bubblegum replied as she released her friend.

There was a plate piled with glowing red items and Marceline ghosted towards it and picked up a raspberry, draining it. She took her time with her meal, lost in thought. She wasn't even attempting to make small talk, which Bubblegum found odd, but before she could question the vampire, she spoke.

"Take a seat; it's time I told you some things."

Bubblegum keenly climbed into her bed and propped her pillow up behind her, leaning back on it as she tapped the spot next to her. Accepting the invitation, Marceline slid out of her jacket and boots, then patted down her jeans to make sure they weren't too wet. Satisfied with the results, she sat next to Bubblegum.

"You know a lot about me,Bonni, and it's not that I don't trust you, it's just a hard thing for me to talk about. I've never told anyone this before," she started.

"You don't have to tell me," Bubblegum said, even though she was itching to know everything the vampire was hiding.

"I want to. I've been meaning to for a while. Just, let me get to the end before saying anything, okay?"

The princess nodded and waited for Marceline to begin. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, simply toyed with the blanket beneath her. Bubblegum allowed her to absently distract herself, but then the vampire sighed.

"My mom died during the Great Mushroom War... Dad was an assassin and a lot of people were out for his blood. Mom was a target, an easy way of getting to him. I mean, she could hold her own, but not against a gang of demons who wanted Dad's head on a platter. She was killed and it drove him insane, but no one knew about me, so I was safe. He raised me alone and, considering he knew no other way of life outside of murder and violence, I still looked up to him. He cared about me." Marceline paused, fists clenching the blanket. Bubblegum laid a hand over Marceline's, wordlessly encouraging her to proceed.

"He was taken out by another vampire, one who wanted me as a bride. Dad wouldn't allow him near me, and he thought if Dad was out of the way, he could have me... He was an immortal. He killed Dad, bit me, stole my soul, and thought it would put me under his control, but I was too pissed off. I took the family axe and attacked him."

She slammed her free hand against her knee and reached up to her goggles. She wedged her finger under the lens and wiped away at the gathering tears.

"I hardly scratched him. I was too inexperienced; new powers were given to me along with the bite and I didn't know how to handle them, but I swore to not only avenge my father's death, but to continue his life." She squeezed Bubblegum's hand. "Eight hundred years later and here I am."

Bubblegum watched as Marceline constantly dipped her fingers under her goggles and quickly reached over and clasped the circles. When the vampire didn't resist, Bubblegum stretched them over Marceline's head and discarded them.

And that was the first time she'd ever seen Marceline's eyes. They were a brilliant crimson, wet with tears and gleaming with emotion. Bubblegum had imagined for so long what her friend's eyes had looked like, but they weren't what she was expecting.

"Beautiful..." she breathed.

Marceline shook her head disbelievingly.

"Are you kidding? I'm a mess, Bonni. You shouldn't see me like this." She palmed her face, slender fingers hiding her pain.

Bubblegum shushed her and threw her arms around the vampire, drawing her close.

"In a way, we are the same."

"How?" Marceline whispered.

"I too was forced into a role. I wasn't born normally; I was created. My purpose before I came to exist was to be the ruler of this kingdom, perhaps forever. I have the form and emotional range and physical structure of a human, yet I'm made of gum. I'm still unable to replicate my father's work, and I have no idea how he successfully spliced my DNA, which is why..."

"Why?"

"Which is why I've been trying to bring him back to life. I want to understand how I was made and why being human or Candy wasn't enough. Why did I have to be some kind of everlasting hybrid?"

"And here I thought your life was sunshine and rainbows from the beginning. You think you'll ever bring him back?"

"So far, I can only make zombies," Bubblegum said, smiling.

"Hey, me too."

They laughed.

"Are you still looking for the vampire who bit you?"

"Yeah, but I don't feel strong enough to face him. He is the king, after all."

"The _Vampire_ King?"

"Yup. He's literally a royal pain in my butt." Marceline chuckled at her own joke and then shuffled forward, lying down beside the princess, her fleeting smile vanishing as her head sunk into the plush pillow.

A click filled the quiet and then darkness descended, the lamp switched off. This was Bubblegum's polite way of saying she wanted to go to sleep, and Marceline usually left at this point, but tonight was different. She longed to stay at the monarch's side, because she needed company after exposing herself. The vampire hated it when her emotions overcame her; she was so quick to cry, which was why she buried her feelings deep inside herself. No one had ever seen her cry.

Everything was hitting her at that moment. All the years she was alone, all the people she'd hurt, all the mistakes she'd made. Tears weren't enough. She started to sob. She felt so lonely, so useless, and there was nothing she could do. But then there was Bubblegum. A gentle thumb traced under Marceline's eye and stole her tears, warm arms encircled her, and just like that, she wasn't alone anymore. She clung fiercely to the smaller woman, the newfound yearning for comfort overtaking her as she wept into Bubblegum's collar.

When she had tired herself out, Marceline lifted her head, not expecting to find the princess still awake. A slice of moonlight peeked through a partially opened curtain, allowing Bubblegum to distinguish the vampire's features.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"What for?" the princess wondered.

"Everything."

Touched, Bubblegum thoughtlessly kissed Marceline's cheek, then tucked the vampire back under her chin and made sure she stayed there for the rest of the night.


	13. Trip to Your Heart

Bubblegum, face alight with glee, held up her glittering prize as if it were the greatest thing known to Ooo. She twisted the hanger in her grasp, the shimmering fabric falling from it appearing to be like a neatly constructed piece of the night sky as it swayed in a circle.

"Isn't it gorgeous? I think it would look perfect on you," the princess exaggerated, approaching Marceline, who scurried back, panicking.

"No way! I'm not a disco ball, Bonni!" she cried, eyes darting around, trying to find an escape route.

"Come, now. At the very least, will you try it on? For me?"

"I'd rather not..."

Bubblegum boldly strode up to the reluctant vampire and laid her hand on her shoulder, fingertips sliding up and purposely slotting into two tender bite wounds. Then the princess fluttered her eyelashes and purred, "Please?"

Marceline blushed, foreign to the art of innocent seduction and jelly-kneed in response to the light pressure Bubblegum applied to her scars. She snatched the blue dress out of Bubblegum's clutches and yelled, "Fine!"

She flew into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Triumphant, Bubblegum silently praised herself. She'd made Ooo's most feared assassin bend to her will with nothing but a little persuasion.

A small knock came from Bubblegum's bedroom door and she called out for whoever it was to enter.

"Your Highness, I heard a bang," Peppermint Butler said worriedly, glancing around to see what might have caused the noise.

"Oh, yes, I closed the bathroom door a little too forcefully. Sorry to alarm you, Peppermint," she lied, and then quickly diverted the conversation: "How are the invitations coming along?"

"The final draft has been made and the guest list is nearly complete. Once you approve of the list and invitation design, I'll have them printed and arranged to be sent."

"Alright. Excellent. I'll be down soon."

Peppermint bowed and left.

Bubblegum then turned her attention to the bathroom door, waiting for the troublesome Marceline to emerge and prove Bubblegum right: the dress was perfect for her.

Small frustrated mutters snuck under the door and sure enough, it slowly opened and the princess' eyes widened.

Vampires were monstrous hunters, deadly and strong. They laughed in the face of danger and were grotesque in both attitude and appearance. But what hovered in front of Bubblegum was none of those things. With her black mane sailing about her, long and thick, and the snug dress accentuating her hips and exposing her pale legs, Marceline looked like a ruffled queen.

"I hate you," she mumbled, adjusting the twisted strap stretched over her shoulder.

Bubblegum wordlessly padded up to Marceline - circled her. Stopped. Scanned her from her narrow red gaze down to her bare feet. Did it twice. Circled her again. She paused at the vampire's front and stared at the dip between two hooked collarbones.

"It's too low-cut," the princess decided.

"Who cares? I'm not wearing it and I'm not going. What if people recognise me?" Marceline fretted.

"Silly, it's a masquerade ball! No one will know it's you."

"But I can't risk-"

"-Marceline, if I wasn't completely sure no one would recognise you, I wouldn't ask you to come. Please, even if you don't wear the dress, no matter how beautiful it is on you, I'd like you to stop by."

Unable to maintain her resolve when Bubblegum looked at her so pleadingly, Marceline said, "I'll think about it." And then she was stuffed into a sweet-scented neck, her forehead denting the smooth gum of the princess' hair.

"Oh, thank you!" Bubblegum rejoiced.

"Hey, geek, don't you know it's dangerous to let a vampire near your neck?" Marceline murmured, breaking out of Bubblegum's grip and scraping an arm across her nose to chase away the smell she'd unwillingly come to love.

"Pfft, as if you'd try anything; you're nothing but a softie. Are you sure you're not a descendant from the Fluffy Kingdom?" Bubblegum teased.

"Fluffy? Fluffy? Bonnibel, I'm too hot to ever share a sentence with the word fluffy."

"Marceline the Fluffy Queen," the princess sang.

"That's it! You can forget your stupid Gum-Ball!"

Marceline went back into the bathroom before Bubblegum could say anything, but, quick to salvage any situation, the princess rushed up to the closed door.

"I was only joking! Of course you're too hot to be associated with such a word! I believe Marceline the Sexy Queen would be more appropriate, without a doubt!" she mended frantically.

The door opened and Marceline had failed to dress herself completely and was only wearing her jeans and bra.

"Sexy, huh?" she repeated, drifting up and stretching her arms as she arched, the muscles in her stomach straining under her skin. Bubblegum stared at the vampire, at her body, and felt strange stirrings deep in her guts. It was a new sensation and it was scary and wonderful and confusing.

She cleared her throat.

"Yes, well, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to do."

"Whatever."

* * *

><p>The night of the Gum-Ball arrived and Bubblegum was dressed in an extravagant purple gown. Her hair was tied back and two curled strands fell to frame her face, which was partially covered by a glittery mask. It was nothing specific, just a strip that curved over the bridge of her nose and flared out at the ends. It matched her dress.<p>

The castle's foyer was decorated with portraits of heroes, of sweets, and flecked with pot plants. Tables were set up along one wall and they were covered with various foods and beverages. The Candy Kingdom's parties weren't regal; they were wild and free. Citizens and welcomed guests took pleasure in the uncustomary ways of the kingdom and acted a little less orderly than they would in their own region. Royalty allied with the Candy Kingdom attended the party, praising Bubblegum for her efforts as they sunk into the energy.

Though the monarch was occupied by Finn, who insisted they dance despite him continuously stepping on her toes, Bubblegum kept an eye out for Marceline. She'd avoided giving the princess a straight answer ever since she was invited, but Bubblegum was certain the vampire would attend, even if it was a simple wave through a window. She claimed she wasn't used to crowds, especially crowds of good people, but she had to show up. She just had to.

There was no sign of her for two hours. The party was still raging and Bubblegum was taking a break, sitting on one of the few chairs set up around the foyer. She nursed a glass of lemonade, amusedly noting how Finn intervened every time another male approached Bubblegum. His childish jealousy could possibly be the reason why Bubblegum had been single since meeting the boy, but somehow she wasn't bothered by it.

He was as exuberant as ever. Jake had thought it would be funny to trip him over as he went to share his fifth dance with Bubblegum and he fell into someone, punch spilling all over him. He'd quickly left to change his shirt and regain some semblance of his dignity.

While searching the crowd for a glimpse of flowing black hair, Bubblegum didn't notice someone walk up to her side. When she turned her attention back to her drink, she found her gaze level with the buttons of a tuxedo. Her eyes travelled up the buttons to the red bowtie, then to the fanged smile, very familiar, and then red eyes, shining like Bubblegum's mask. Their mask was black leather with long ears. It dipped at the cheeks and then broke off into various curved points. It resembled a wolf.

"Excuse me, Princess, but may I have this dance? I promise to take it slow."

"Marceline?"

"Nope. Just your dance partner," she replied, extending a hand. Bubblegum took it and was suddenly in Marceline's arms on the dance floor, spinning and twirling and matching the vampire's steps.

The music switched to something slower, indicating that the party was coming to an end. People coupled up and Marceline drew Bubblegum close and the princess clasped her hands behind the vampire's neck, playing with the short hair there. It was barely past her ears and it was messy. She looked so much like a man that it was spooky. Bubblegum was so sure she'd even flattened her chest. The princess distinctly remembered the soft swell of breasts the woman had. Her body's abilities were uncanny.

"Why'd you come as a man?" she asked.

"Less conspicuous," Marceline said simply, twirling the monarch under her arm.

"Is that the truth?"

"Well, I wouldn't be able to dance with you as freely if everyone knew I was a woman," Marceline explained, hands slipping further around Bubblegum's waist.

"Why Marceline, I never thought you'd be capable of such...elegance and civility," Bubblegum noted as she realised how smoothly Marceline was dancing, how practiced her movements were. The vampire smirked, chuckling faintly as she dipped the princess low.

"Your Highness, I've been on this planet for a thousand years; I can pretend to be many things."

"I don't think you're pretending to enjoy dancing with me."

"Is that a crime?"

"It might be if anyone knew you were a woman."

"Does my being a woman bother you?"

"No. It's not an unheard of arrangement..."

Marceline laughed, leant in close and whispered, "Would you oppose to being in such an arrangement?" She breathed heavily against Bubblegum's neck and the princess shivered, but didn't shove the seductive vampire off her. She tightened her grip, whether out of nervousness or desire, she didn't know. Marceline leant back, a rueful smile on her face as she saw Bubblegum's disgruntled expression.

"Chill out, Bonni. I was only messing around; I didn't mean to offend you."

"I'm not offended, you butt," she murmured, but smiled regardless and continued dancing. When Bubblegum felt flustered, her reactions seemed almost childlike and Marceline was delighted to see this side of the princess. She didn't act composed all the time. Sometimes she succumbed to her rage and flipped over tables aggressively and sometimes she would shout ridiculous things, but it proved that she had a fun personality, a unique identity beneath her royal demeanour. Marceline felt privileged to know the woman under the mask.

Bubblegum adjusted Marceline's bowtie, then smoothed the ruffled collar of the finely tailored suit and asked, "Do I want to know how you came across this?" Marceline hummed, spun the princess carefully, then drew her back.

"No one was hurt if that's what you're wondering... Maybe a troll's pride, but that's about it."

Bubblegum didn't condone stealing, but she was happy to have Marceline present. She'd forgotten the ache in her feet because she somehow felt lighter, like she was floating, while dancing with the vampire.

The last song of the night came on and Finn had returned with a new shirt, spotting Marceline and Bubblegum. He'd refrained from assaulting the vampire a few times, with Jake's help, but he reached his breaking point as he watched Bubblegum and Marceline interact as if they were meant to be together, like they were best buddies and then some.

The hero stormed up to the couple and puffed out his chest, trying to seem bigger than he actually was, but Marceline was still much taller.

"Hey, quit hogging the princess! I called dibs on the last dance way before you got here," Finn said over the music.

Marceline tugged Bubblegum toward her, deciding to further irritate Finn, and planted a soft kiss on the princess' forehead. She then moved her lips to Bubblegum's ear.

"Thank you for dancing with me. You made my night," she said. Finn glared at Marceline as she withdrew and snatched Bubblegum's hand, dragging her far, far away from the smirking vampire, who wasted no time in melting into the shadows, no longer among the good-natured people.

* * *

><p>The ball ended and the Candy Folk helped clear up some of the mess they'd made, but Bubblegum shooed them off, claiming that they needed to go to bed and let her handle the clean-up. She was exhausted and a little agitated. Finn had said some unnecessarily cruel things about Marceline, fuelled by his envy. Bubblegum shushed him, lectured him a little, and maybe even hurt him, but she couldn't help it. She felt very protective over the vampire.<p>

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen Marceline at all after Finn interrupted their dance. She'd disappeared and Bubblegum was a little worried. And lonesome. She'd told her staff to go to bed and now it was just her and the dormant guards. She had left the foyer and taken a walk through the castle gardens, lit by fireflies and dim hanging lanterns. She was passing the chocolate fountain that formed a moat around the castle when she felt a gust of wind slap her back.

Then hands followed.

She went flying into the fountain, her shriek silenced by a mouthful of chocolate. A loud splash sounded and she resurfaced instantly, gasping for air. The culprit was laughing loudly.

Marceline was back. She'd grown her hair out again, removed her black coat and was only in a white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbow. She'd ditched her shoes and bowtie.

"How dare you!" Bubblegum whisper-yelled, not wanting to alert the guards.

"I couldn't help myself," the vampire said, drifting to the fountain's edge, still releasing small giggles.

Bubblegum muttered something unintelligible and then ducked into the watery chocolate. The only sign of her location was the popping bubbles of the oxygen she was losing. Soon, there were no bubbles at all. Marceline, somewhat concerned, tried to see through the murky chocolate, nearing the surface. However, just as quickly as she'd faded into the depths of sticky sweetness, Bubblegum sprung from the fountain, threw her arms around the vampire's neck and fell back in, Marceline tumbling in with her.

They both emerged, Bubblegum the one laughing this time. Marceline grunted and then dunked the princess under the chocolate, only to be grabbed around the waist and heaved face-first into the slush.

Like children, they battled in the fountain, giggling and dunking and swimming and splashing. Though they were both much older than they appeared, they revelled in the innocent and juvenile atmosphere. The two shared much in the sense that they were denied a regular childhood, but in this carefree moment, they played like it didn't exist. They played without regard for their circumstances, their past, their age. None of it mattered. It was just Marceline and Bubblegum. Two people having fun. Two people enjoying each other's company. Anything beyond that was lost under the stars.

Marceline was the first to call a truce and noticed Bubblegum was too worn out to stay afloat. She kindly held the princess up with one arm, then used her free hand to wipe away the brown smudges coating Bubblegum's face.

"There's gotta be a pretty princess under all this mess," Marceline said, clearing more of the chocolate away. "There she is."

Bubblegum, not focused on what the vampire was doing, couldn't tear her eyes away from those ruby orbs peering at her so fondly. The starlight illuminated them, made them glisten, and she found herself folding her arms around the vampire's neck. Marceline had been speaking, but when she saw Bubblegum's expression, she stopped. She stared. She took the princess' hips in her hands and watched as a dark purple gaze vanished under pale eyelids and soon she too was closing her eyes. Bubblegum's heart was beating so incredibly fast and hard that Marceline mistook it for her own eternally idle pulse.

Maybe Bubblegum was right to say she had a heart. Maybe she had felt a heart in Marceline's chest. How else could the vampire explain what Bubblegum was stealing at that very second as they leant in and shared their breaths just as they had shared their laughter?

But it didn't happen.

A shrill cry:

"Peebles!"

Marceline, not realising she had started to float out of the fountain with Bubblegum securely in her arms, dropped the princess and fled so briskly that a heavy burst of wind stirred the chocolate and the surrounding trees.

Finn was kneeling by the fountain, stretching out a hand, which Bubblegum irritably clasped.

"Hey, PB, are you alright? What happened?" he questioned, pulling her out.

"I slipped," she replied curtly, climbing to her feet with Finn's assistance.

"You should be more careful."

Bubblegum said nothing.

"Um, well, I came back to apologise. I shouldn't have said those things about that guy. I was a huge butt; forgive me?"

"Sure, Finn."

The boy walked Bubblegum back to the castle entrance, gave her a flower he'd picked when she wasn't watching, and said goodnight, leaving the princess to her thoughts, which revolved around Marceline and how they'd almost kissed.


	14. False Comfort

That night, Bubblegum's chambers were empty. She'd never noticed how large her room was, how, despite the amount of brightly decorated materials lining the walls, colourless it was. A coldness, unlike that of Marceline's refreshing skin, clung to the corners and the princess prepared herself for bed. Her eyes were trained on her window, wondering, waiting, hoping. Would Marceline come back to finish what she started?

Bubblegum, now accustomed to getting little sleep at night, finally grasped just how exhausted she was. Readying the ball and sending out the invitations, while entertaining Marceline, had turned out to be more strenuous than she originally anticipated. So, with a heavy heart, Bubblegum slept. She slept and she dreamt.

In her dream, Marceline was lounging on a cloud. Actually, they both were. They were stretched out in a meadow of fluffy white and they were smiling at each other. Marceline's cloud was drifting closer to Bubblegum's and they eventually bumped together.

"Hey," Marceline greeted with a casual grin.

"Hello," Bubblegum returned. Her stomach felt as light as the cloud she was on.

"I have some pretty bad news." Marceline continued to smile.

"Oh? What might that be?"

"I'm leaving."

Why did she still look so calm, so collected, as she said this? It was unnerving.

Bubblegum frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"

Only now did the princess notice that Marceline's cloud was moving away from hers. The fields of white were disappearing. There were gaps now, gaps revealing what was beneath the clouds. Blackness. Writhing, angry shadows.

"Somewhere far, far away. I'll probably never come back."

Bubblegum slapped the air, attempting to propel her cloud towards Marceline's, but they simply kept going in opposite directions. The vampire was sitting cross-legged, her handmade beanie clenched in her fists. The smile didn't leave her face.

"But… I need you," Bubblegum protested weakly.

"No, you don't, Bonni. I'm the one who needs you."

Marceline stood up, placed her beanie on the cloud and then moved to the edge. She peered down at the pit of black beneath her and then looked over her shoulder at the princess.

"Bye," she whispered.

And then she jumped.

"No!" Bubblegum screamed as she shot up, finding that she was in her room again. Her blood was pumping with such ferocity in her ears that it was deafening. That dream was one of the worst she'd had in a long time. She was panting and sweating, as if she'd been holding her breath during the entire ordeal. She placed a clammy hand on the bunched up blanket she'd kicked off at some point, a habit she'd developed when Marceline took to hiding somewhere in her room.

She was alone.

Cracks of dawn light peeked through the slightly parted curtains and the princess got out of bed.

There would be no sleeping after a nightmare like that.

* * *

><p>There was a point in time when Princess Bubblegum enjoyed nothing more than sticking to her routine. She loved to have everything in order, to know the outcome of any situation. She was, after all, a scientist, a woman of facts. Discovering new things was a treasured component of her hobby, but in some cases, that new something could be scary and painful.<p>

What Bubblegum felt was a crippling misery. It worsened each day and she refused to believe the diagnosis that her research came to. It simply couldn't be. The melancholy in Marceline's absence, the glee in her presence, the aching need for… well, the princess wasn't sure what she ached for, but it wasn't at all decent. It felt a tad animalistic. It had to be something else, anything but that.

She distracted herself with her work for a while, even opting to go to the store, against her subjects' will, for small groceries or ingredients for her concoctions so that she could escape the castle and possibly her thoughts. It was to no avail. That cursed vampire followed her. Those burning red eyes seared in her mind, her heart. Hot rubies that made her body overheat. With such an overpowering longing for Marceline's return mingling with the fear of her never coming back, Bubblegum was, to put it lightly, extremely anxious. She hated not knowing what would happen.

So, Bubblegum did what she'd been doing since the ball: she waited. For days, she waited. She stayed up at night with her blanket down a little too low, fondly recalling how Marceline liked to tuck her in when she thought the princess was asleep. Sure, it made nights colder, but even if she was wrapped fully in the warmth of her bedcover, Bubblegum found that the chill ran deeper than her skin.

On the fifth night without a peep from the vampire, Bubblegum was beginning to think it would be best to assume that Marceline decided to go back to her life as a murderer. She had once told the princess that she never murdered anyone who didn't deserve it, but Bubblegum believed it was wrong no matter who the victim was. Yet, regardless of how many times she reminded herself that Marceline was an assassin, her feelings didn't change. They remained as potent as a hammer, or an axe, to the chest.

With such a busy mind, the shift of Bubblegum's blanket nearly went unnoticed. The cover trailed up her stomach, up and up, until it fell under her chin. Something wet (and slimy?), touched her cheek.

Bubblegum opened her eyes and there, above her face, was a black tentacle. She was about to scream, but the squishy appendage slapped over her mouth with an ugly wet smack. More and more tentacles started to creep out from under her bed and they encircled her body. They wrapped tightly around her, squeezing, prodding, and poking. It seemed as though infiltrating the castle to harass the princess was all too easy. First the Ice King, then, again, the Ice King, then a pack of wolves, then a bat that turned out to be an assassin, and now this creature.

Unable to move, Bubblegum parted her lips and managed to cease some flesh in her mouth. She bit it as hard as she could and found that her attack was successful, as the tentacles vanished with a pained cry from the creature they belonged to.

Sitting up, the princess spotted a bump at the end of her bed and it shuffled closer to her. She was afraid to discover what lurked underneath, but she had to find out who or what it was before the stun of her bite wore off.

Tentatively, the princess gripped the edge of her blanket and lifted it.

"Hello, Bonnibel," Marceline said cheerily as she smoothly emerged from the blanket cave on her stomach, slivering up so that she could sink into one of Bubblegum's pillows.

"Marceline, you scared me half to death!" Bubblegum whisper-yelled.

"And you took a nice bite out of me; thanks for that." Marceline indicated to the small crescents on her forearm that had already begun to fade with amusement.

"I'm sorry, but I thought you were some kind of monster that planned to make me a meal!"

In one swift motion, Bubblegum was flat on her back, the vampire atop her with a fiendish smile and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, but I am," she purred.

Marceline dove for Bubblegum's neck, and her fangs pressed sharply against the flesh, as did her lips. She sucked in a deep breath through her nose and then she exhaled through her mouth, blowing against Bubblegum's skin.

Bubblegum laughed and struggled, because it made her skin buzz and tickle and boy, did this feel silly. It was so absurd. A princess in bed with an infamous killer, who was making farting noises against her neck like the biggest kid ever. How could someone so childish be capable of such horrid crimes?

They wrestled under the blanket, Bubblegum obviously being no match for Marceline, giggling. The infrequent scares were fun, once the spine-chilling fear wore off. Bubblegum would be frightened, then be straddled and playfully assaulted until Marceline grew tired of making the princess suffocate with laughter. The roaming castle staff probably thought Bubblegum was insane at this stage, but they never interfered unless Marceline took it too far and didn't manage to silence one of Bubblegum's cries. Subjects, usually Peppermint Butler, would come to her aid, only to find the door was locked. With terror and adrenaline pumping through her veins, Bubblegum would offer a muffled reassurance through the door. Once the interruption was dealt with, the princess would bound back to bed with the woman who'd just scared her out of her skin. It was an unusual thing to enjoy, but it was different and invigorating. Just like Marceline.

The vampire stopped what she was doing and propped herself up on one elbow, leaning over Bubblegum with a soft smile. She raised her hand and touched the princess' cheek affectionately. Her gloves were gone.

"I missed you," she admitted.

"I missed you, too."

The playful atmosphere was being eaten by something a lot more intimate and Marceline grew uncomfortable as memories of her almost-kiss with the princess flashed through her mind, so she rolled off the monarch and sprawled out next to her.

Bubblegum studied her bunkmate and caught sight of a splotch of blood on the vampire's jacket. She poked it.

"What's this from?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing!"

"If you don't spit it out, you'll have to leave."

"Seriously?"

"No, but I would really like it if you could be honest with me."

Marceline considered what might happen if she fessed up. The princess could go into hysterics, become overly paranoid until the matters were settled, and send the vampire packing for not telling her sooner. Or everything would be fine and breezy, without more than a regular amount of panic. Marceline sighed.

"Bonni, I didn't want to alarm you, so I never said anything, but I sensed someone sneaking around the kingdom and when I checked it out, I found a sketchy dude fitted with a lot of weapons. I scared him off, but I think my boss is sending more assassins after you. Now that he believes I'm dead, I don't see why he wouldn't," she reasoned, but then her frown deepened and she was overcome by a very troubled look, as if what she was thinking frustrated her. She proceeded, "I can't… I can't keep protecting you. I have to stop him. Permanently."

"No, you don't. We can lock him up, Marcy. Very securely," Bubblegum assured, always one to take the nonviolent approach when it came to punishment.

"You're wrong. He's got the money to keep some very powerful friends, friends that I might not always be able to beat. Once he's gone, along with his money, those friends will disappear, too. You'll be safe."

"Just tell me who it is." Bubblegum impatiently sat up, gazing down at the vampire peevishly.

"I don't think you'll take it well. That's why I haven't told you," Marceline said, planning to dance around the subject for as long as she could. She didn't want to face the oncoming storm yet. She simply wanted to have one more night of peace in what could almost be called home. She'd never had one after her father died.

"Please tell me," Bubblegum urged, slender fingers gripping those of the vampire's desperately. She was expecting it to be someone she knew, someone she wouldn't have suspected. Why else would Marceline tread so lightly around her when it came to her employer?

Mustering up the courage and preparing for the worst possible reaction, Marceline cupped Bubblegum's hand between both of hers. She gazed at their joined hands and the mere fact that the princess didn't shy away from her touch was enough to sooth her, enough to make her believe telling Bubblegum who it was would be for the best. She wanted the princess to trust her.

She sat upright as well, keeping a firm grip on Bubblegum. Their eyes didn't lose contact.

"Lemongrab. He's the one who hired me."

Bubblegum's hand became a fist and her entire body tensed. She appeared to be paralysed, her expression locked in surprise, mouth agape, lungs still. She didn't even blink. She stared at Marceline, through her, even. Lemongrab. Of all the people in Ooo, it was Lemongrab who wanted her dead.

It took a while for her face and body to unfreeze, but the transition was painstakingly slow. Her mouth closed, her eyes moistened and she began to tremble.

"That can't be… My own creation…No," she murmured, unaware that she was now in Marceline's arms, against her chest, her silent heart.

"I'm sorry, but it's true. He cares more about usurping the throne than anything else. I wish I could say otherwise."

"I really can't believe this."

"I have to stop him, Bonni. Even if you hate me afterwards, I'm going to take him down."

"Marceline, killing him won't stop people from sending assassins after me. If I expose him, he will no longer be heir. He'll be imprisoned and lose his motives for killing me."

"You're wrong. He'll just be even more set on killing you. He'll want revenge, and, if not him, who else is suitable to rule the kingdom? Do you have a backup heir? How do you know he won't find a way to the throne? Do you really want to risk that, Bonni? You and your people are in danger as long as he's alive," Marceline maintained.

"I need time to think about this."

"There isn't time! Do you know why some nights I don't show up? It's because there were occasions like tonight that I chose not to mention. I would scope out the Candy Kingdom from top to bottom to make sure there wasn't something I missed, but there's someone out there and so far I haven't caught them. They run off and all I find are underdog assassins. Lemongrab wouldn't go smaller after me. No way in hell. He's got something planned, Bonni. Something big."

Still pacifistic, Bubblegum proposed, "Okay, what if, instead of killing him, he's brought back here so that I can try to recreate him? I can erase his memories and attempt to reconstruct his way of thinking, his way of being."

"How can you be sure he won't just end up the same?" Marceline snapped.

"I can't be sure."

"Is it really worth trying?"

"Yes. I don't want him to die."

Marceline scrutinised Bubblegum, very reluctant to accept such terms. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her. She dreaded the frenzy she would go into if the princess ever died. She didn't ask for this connection to the foolishly naïve woman, but it was there and it sucked, and Marceline had to do what she could to keep Bubblegum free from harm.

But she also wanted the princess to be happy, and she relented. "I can't promise that I won't want to chop off his head the moment I see him, but I can promise that I'll try keep him alive for you. Just… please, please keep your guard up while I'm gone."

"Why do you have to go? I can send someone else."

"No. I have to do it. He won't expect me and he definitely won't escape from me," the vampire said with conviction, but her sense of duty dulled as she saw the discontent expression her princess wore. In an effort to put her at ease, Marceline continued, "It'll only take a day or two."

"You're not going. My reasons can't be disclosed at the moment, but please trust me on this. I will have Finn and Jake retrieve him," Bubblegum said.

"Come on, what if he has henchmen? You can't expect some kids to be able to take down a professionally trained killer. These aren't just bad guys that the hero can put in jail; these are cold-blooded murderers," she stressed. "I'd feel a lot better if I took care of this, while you bunker down somewhere no one can find you."

"I stand by what I said before. You're not going. I will call a meeting of Ooo's royalty and then announce his misdoings in front of everyone. Finn and Jake will act as if they're his escorts, which will make him feel obligated to attend. You must remain here."

The vampire was starting to see that she couldn't argue with a woman who rivalled even her own stubbornness. She knew Bubblegum was worried, so she stopped putting up a fight for the time being.

"Alright, alright. If it's that important to you, I'll stay."

Marceline snaked an arm around the princess and brought her close, relishing in the warmth radiating from Bubblegum's body. She was very tired from her recent fight and the stress of this whole situation didn't help much at all. For now, she would allow Bubblegum to have her way and she'd appreciate the monarch's company while she still had the chance. Things were about to become chaotic; there was an omen in the air, a foreboding stir in the winds. Something huge, something awful, was coming.

"Marcy?"

Shaking off the disgruntlement, Marceline hummed, "Hmm?"

"Is there something you've always wanted?"

Not anticipating the question, Marceline pondered for a moment. She'd wanted many things in her existence, gained most, but Bubblegum probably wasn't referring to materials. All the possessions in the world could be hers if she pleased, but the vampire was no fool. Happiness couldn't be bought or stolen; it was ignited by every smile the princess offered her, every hug, every kind word. Bubblegum held the key to her happiness.

"Life, I guess. I want to be able to age, to eat, to walk under the sun with someone I love. Kinda lame, huh?"

"No, no, it's wonderful." Bubblegum's words were nothing more than a mumble, her fatigue getting the better of her. With Marceline's chest rising and falling under her cheek, the princess was lulled to sleep. A sleep free of nightmares and haunting images of Marceline plummeting into darkness. No, she was secure, because the vampire wouldn't leave. She wouldn't.


	15. The Big Bad King

There was no discretion, no stalking or studying her prey. Marceline acted solely on impulse, so unlike her typical strategy of attacking from the shadows, leaving no trace beyond her murder at the scene of the crime. The evidence, however, was forever etched within her. She could never clean the taint from her soul as easily as she cleaned the blood spatter from her axe. Not once in her life had she done something good, something out of love. It was easy, because she had never loved anyone.

But she found out that love was more dangerous than anything she had ever dealt with. Love made her reckless. She wasn't her usual controlled self.

Marceline crashed through the wall of Lemongrab's castle, rubble flinging through windows and into furniture. She stood tall among the debris, like a noble warrior, and spotted Lemongrab sitting before a fire. He didn't seem surprised by her loud arrival. He calmly swirled a glass of wine in his hand and smiled as he intently gazed at the flames. Wood cracked and popped, the only sound to be heard as Marceline floated to Lemongrab's side and clutched the handle of her axe.

"I've been expecting you, Marceline," he said.

"Who told you my name…?" she questioned, pulling the axe back, preparing to strike. His knowledge wouldn't protect him.

"A good friend of yours has made my acquaintance. He knows a lot about you, and is quite good at watching you betray me without you even noticing." His fingers were rigid and claw-like as they squeezed the wine glass. He faced the vampire and sourly spat, "I was right when I said you weren't fit for this job."

Before Marceline could swing her axe down and cut off one of Lemongrab's arms, someone grabbed the weapon from her hands. No one had done that before. She spun around, only to be struck by her own family heirloom. It cut right into her stomach and she fell to her knees before her attacker.

"You!" she shouted, clutching at her axe, trying to steal it back, but with a blade severing half of her abdomen, it was difficult enough to muster the strength to stay conscious let alone wrestle a giant axe from the hands of someone not even she could overpower.

"Hello, Marceline. I'd say you've become even more beautiful since the last time I saw you, but it's hard to tell with all that junk covering your face," said the Vampire King, smirking as he dislodged the axe, catching Marceline as she collapsed to the floor. He held her as if he didn't want to harm her, as if he hadn't almost cut her in half. He carefully peeled off her facemask and goggles. Her hat had disappeared somewhere in the wreckage. The king was pleased to see that she had in fact become even more beautiful, especially with such hatred burning in her eyes. It had grown over time, forced her to become stronger, so that one day she could defeat the very monster who cradled her in his arms.

"I'll kill you," she hissed, feebly reaching out for the king's neck. He chuckled and slapped his hand over her face. His fingertips dug into her skin, drawing blood. Marceline clawed at his hand, snarling, but he smashed her head against the floor, so hard that the stone split.

Before Marceline passed out, she felt his chilled breath by her ear and heard him whisper, "Not before I kill her."

* * *

><p>Bubblegum was furious with Marceline. The moment she woke up to an empty bed, she knew the vampire had run off to fetch Lemongrab. She should've had some foresight and realised that Marceline was not one to take orders. She was not bound by any oath to be loyal to the candy monarch. Bubblegum could only hope that Marceline would at least keep her promise and not kill the earl. Yes, he may have sent an assassin to murder her, but in some sick and sorted way, Bubblegum was thankful he did so. If he hadn't, she would've never met Marceline, never formed such a special connection. It was one she had quickly come to cherish and fear.<p>

The vampire had left her beanie behind and Bubblegum had it pressed to her nose. The smell somehow reminded her of autumn breezes. She smiled and thought it was about time she got out of bed. Peppermint hadn't come to wake her, so she figured it must be rather early, which was peculiar considering she went to bed quite late and she felt well-rested.

She sat up, crawled out of her blanket cocoon, walked towards her bedroom door and opened it.

"Peppermint?" she called down the hallway. There was no reply, nor was there any sight of one of her many subjects. There was no distant chatter from her staff, no sounds of movement whatsoever. Confused and a little concerned, Bubblegum journeyed down the halls and checked some of the rooms she passed, finding them empty.

As she neared the Candy Foyer, she finally heard some voices. Overcome with relief, the princess hurried towards whoever it was speaking, but stopped abruptly when she heard the topic of the conversation. She was close to opening the door that led to the foyer, but she was thankful she didn't as she pushed her ear against the wood and listened.

"I'll ask one more time. _Where_ is she? The whole castle smells like candy, like her, so, if you'd make this easier on me, I'd appreciate it," one voice said. It was unfamiliar. Menacing.

"I will tell you… nothing," the second voice wheezed. That sounded like...

"Peppermint," Bubblegum whispered, grabbing the door's handle. She was ready to burst into the foyer and give herself up to spare Peppermint any sort of punishment for not revealing her whereabouts.

"If you knew who she had been hiding all this time, you wouldn't be so loyal, you little pest," growled the stranger.

Bubblegum gasped. How was it possible? How could anyone know about Marceline?

That's when the princess remembered the vampire's words the night before. She had been positive Lemongrab would send someone much more dangerous than herself after Bubblegum. And she had been right. Whoever was on the other side of that door was his backup plan.

Without thinking, without considering the consequences, Bubblegum turned the doorknob and flung the door open.

And she stepped into hell.

Her staff were strewn about the foyer like fallen soldiers. Many had blows to the head that would have been fatal if not for their regenerative abilities. It seemed that the new assassin had waited for all the Candy People who chose not to live in the castle to come into work or visit so that he could pounce and interrogate them, and those who heard the commotion and came rushing in to see what was going on had also fallen prey to his trap.

Banana Guards were piled up by the castle entrance like toy blocks.

"Stop this! Don't hurt anymore of my people, because I'm right here!" she yelled and the man holding Peppermint Butler up by the collar snapped his head in Bubblegum's direction. He grinned, flashing his fangs as he dropped Peppermint, who had some serious cracks branching across his striped head. The butler was knocked out once he hit the ground.

"Well, aren't you brave?" He chuckled, floating closer to the princess. There was no doubt that he was a vampire. Besides the flying, he had the same pale skin as Marceline, the same slitted eyes.

"Where is she?" Bubblegum asked.

"Who might you be referring to, dear?"

"Don't play coy; you've been watching us. Did Lemongrab send you?"

"My, my, Marceline really told you a lot, didn't she? You must be special if you captured her heart, something I longed to do. Not even granting her immortality was enough to sway her," he complained, still advancing on Bubblegum, who lost some of her courageous flare as she processed what he'd said.

"Wait… you… you're the Vampire King?" Her skin prickled as fear, bitter and cold, finally crept up on her.

"Last time I checked. Now, let's get to business… Tell me, Your Highness, what would hurt you more: being disembowelled, or watching one of your precious subjects be crushed into thousands of tiny pieces?" he questioned, his face now a hand span from Bubblegum's. His breath smelt like rotten meat.

"If you hurt them, I'll-"

"You'll _what_?!" he roared, his hand shooting up and wrapping around her neck. He lifted her up. "You are powerless. Your people are powerless. I can't be stopped," he said, crushing Bubblegum's windpipe. She grunted and struggled to loosen his grip, but his strength was too great.

She was nearing death. She could feel herself slipping.

But suddenly she was released and she crumbled to the floor, coughing and gulping in air. She looked up and found that some of the Candy People had regained consciousness, including Peppermint, and had climbed up the Vampire King's back. Some pulled his hair, others bit him, and Peppermint had swung himself up and scratched at the king's eyes. The monarch screamed and started thrashing, knocking off some of the candies, but more just climbed up his body. He flew around and desperately tried to shake them off, but they were relentless.

Peppermint, hands buried deep in the king's sockets, peered down at his princess and yelled, "Hide, Your Majesty! We can't hold him off for long!"

"But he wants m-"

"Please! If you die, we have nothing! Hide! Finn and Jake will be here soon!"

Bubblegum reluctantly stood up and moved towards the door she'd come in through. It was best to stay in the castle and wait for Finn and Jake. If she escaped into the town, the Vampire King might follow her and assault more of her citizens. He was ruthless and clearly didn't care who he hurt. He was the one who took Marceline's father and mortality from her. He was the one who led her astray.

She wondered where the safest place to hide was, a place that she had trouble discovering even after decades of living in the castle. And then it clicked. The tunnel labyrinth that led to the dungeon. He would never think to look there. Even Bubblegum only found it by accident. She had ventured to the room because more citizens wanted to live in the castle and she was reviewing the unused rooms to see which should be renovated and prepared for the pending residents. She'd tripped on the scuffed up rug and found the trapdoor that way.

The king floated. He wouldn't trip. It was the perfect place to lay low.

She made her way down to the musty room, barren and decorated with cobwebs, and kicked back the rug, tearing open the trapdoor. She jumped into the dark mouth and tugged the door closed, then drew the knotted ends of the two thin ropes through the holes, pulling the rug back over the entrance and concealing its existence.

Bubblegum sat down in the dirt with a sigh, stroking her bruised neck. She was afraid for her people, for herself, and for Marceline. Was she okay? Would this whole ordeal turn out okay? The princess hadn't the faintest clue, and she tried to stop herself from crying as she waited in the tunnel for everything to end.


	16. Demons

The first thing Marceline felt as she regained consciousness was a dull throb at the back of her head. Her skull had been fractured and the injury hadn't fully healed, which meant she hadn't been out long. There was still a chance to rescue Bubblegum.

With this on her mind, she opened her eyes and found that she was facing a wall. The floor beneath her was cold. Metal.

She sat up and looked around. She was in a small room and one of the walls was made of glass. Beyond the glass was a control panel that Lemongrab was behind. He was glaring at her, but then again, Lemongrab's face always looked like he had something up his butt.

Marceline stood, smirking.

"You really think you can lock me up?" she asked, chuckling when Lemongrab didn't respond, didn't blink. The vampire continued boastfully, "I could easily-"

The earl pushed the lever on his machine and the chamber was filled with electricity. Marceline was zapped with such a powerful current that she almost blacked out. She grunted and crumbled to her knees, trembling.

"Fifteen units usually kills people. I guess you aren't as useless as I thought." Lemongrab switched to a higher level and pushed the lever again. This time Marceline couldn't even stay on her knees. She tumbled onto her side, coughing. She was choking on the smoke from her own burning skin.

Writhing in pain, Marceline tried to fight through it, tried to stand, to break out. She needed to get back to the Candy Kingdom. She was the only one who had half a chance of stopping the Vampire King so that Bubblegum could escape.

Maybe she could give herself over to the king, promise to marry him if he left Bubblegum alone. She would give anything if it meant Bubblegum would be spared.

Another zap brought her back to her present situation. She couldn't move, couldn't float, could hardly breathe. She was trapped. And that's when Marceline was struck with something more shocking than the electricity: fear. It was a thrashing beast in her stomach, icy fingers clenching her heart. Her head was pounding and her ears buzzed. It was scary thinking that she might not make it in time, that she would die, or worse: make it out alive only to find that Bubblegum was dead.

The currents were intensifying. Her body couldn't heal as fast as it was taking damage. She was blinded by the flashes, which were just as bright even when she closed her eyes.

This was the closest Marceline had been to death. She wanted to succumb to it, let it take her, because she'd lived long enough. Heck, she'd lived ten times longer than long enough.

But then she thought about how she'd lived the life her father had wanted for her, not the life she'd wanted. When she was with Bubblegum, that's when she felt like she was really living for herself, making her own choices and she was actually happy for once.

Using what little strength she had left, Marceline, her body spasming, slowly got up. Lemongrab's eyes widened and he turned the power up to its maximum level. He put so much pressure on the lever that it broke. The chamber was filled with nothing but smoke and jagged blue streaks.

Marceline screamed and hurled herself at the glass. She broke through it and bolts of electricity scattered out behind her like a giant hand. One of them struck Lemongrab's shoulder and he cried out, stumbling back.

Marceline charged at him and knocked him to the ground with a shard of glass in her hand. She was going to kill him.

"Do it!" he barked. "You're too late, anyway."

Marceline swung her arm down, the glass aimed at the earl's neck.

His eyes were clenched shut and he felt the shard press into his skin, but that's all. It didn't go any further. He dared to open his eyes and was met with Marceline's dark stare. Her face was covered with thin blue lines, branching scars. Her clothes were torn apart, and the rest of her skin suffered the same markings as her face. She looked vicious, a furious wounded animal.

"No," she growled.

Dazed and tremendously confused, Lemongrab wasn't sure what was going on, but it was certainly some kind of trick, because Ooo's greatest assassin was standing up and tossing aside her weapon.

"I won't kill you. Not because I promised, but because it's my decision; I don't want to be that person anymore."

Lemongrab laughed mockingly.

"Please," he scoffed. "You can't change who you are. None of us can."

"You're wrong," she said as she picked up her axe, which had been knocked over from its position by the shattered glass window. Her hat had been mounted on its tip, both items meant to be Lemongrab's trophies. She put her hat on.

Ignoring all his insults and shrieks of agony, since Marceline had apparently broken his arm when she tackled him, the vampire stuffed him in his own dungeon. All of his staff had abandoned the castle when she'd broken in, though it didn't matter if he escaped, because she'd find him.

But he wasn't her main concern right now. She had to go. She might make it. Barely.

Marceline raced to the front door and by it was an umbrella stand. She snatched the one grey umbrella from it, threw open the door and flew right out into the daylight.

* * *

><p>The Candy People hadn't lasted long. They were exhausted from the fight and lay broken or too weak to stand. The king was tearing apart the castle like a hurricane, knocking down doors, punching holes in the floor. He could smell Bubblegum everywhere and it was only making him angrier. He would turn the whole building upside down if he had to. Bubblegum was somewhere inside, he was sure of it.<p>

He smelt Marceline, too. She was there for a while, living it up as the princess' pet. He'd never been able to get close enough to see what it was exactly that they did, but the fact that Marceline was alive and in the castle along with Bubblegum meant something had to be going on. He was never convinced that Marceline was a prisoner, and when word got out of her death, he thought that was just as ridiculous. He could still sense her, feel her, either in or nearby the castle.

He couldn't believe she'd pick a candy princess over a vampire king. She was always rejecting him and he was convinced it was her father who made her say no, who made her unhappy. So he believed he was doing her a favour by killing her dad.

Getting rid of Bubblegum was the next favour.

With all the Candy People in the foyer, the king noticed that Bubblegum's scent was becoming stronger now, easier to detect among the other overly sweet smells. He followed the most potent traces of her, charging down through the floors, closer to the dungeon, to the princess.

He was led to the room with the trapdoor and when he stomped on the entrance, he found that no one was there. He floated down into the tunnel. He could see in the dark, but it wasn't required, because the walls were alight. He didn't follow the glowing gems, however. Bubblegum clearly anticipated he'd find her hiding place, so she'd decided to get herself lost in the maze, sometimes overlapping a previous route. Her scent was no longer the king's key to catching her. He'd have to either demolish the entire underground system so it collapsed on top of Bubblegum, or take the time to find her, so that he could drain her life with his own fangs.

Now calmer, satisfied that he'd discovered where she was, the king settled on his second option. He'd play this little game her way.

* * *

><p>Bubblegum was panting as she ran down another path. It was pitch black and she was probably filthy from running into the walls, but she didn't stop. If she could confuse the king long enough to get him lost, she could sneak out through the dungeon, meet up with Finn and Jake and save her kingdom.<p>

She wished she had taken something, anything, from the weapons room when she'd been in there earlier. It's how she confirmed that Marceline had gone after Lemongrab; she'd taken her axe with her.

The crash the king caused when he broke into the tunnels had echoed throughout the entire maze and Bubblegum hoped he hadn't taken the obvious route and followed the gems, because that was her final destination. She'd taken a big risk by racing through the darkness, but if her calculations were correct, she'd hit the path leading to the brick wall that was connected to the dungeon if she kept going right.

She'd noted how often she crossed the gem lit path in her aimless sprints, and it was probable that she was close. Bubblegum wasn't usually one to leave things to chance, but there was really no time for strategic planning.

Her assumptions ended up being correct and she finally saw the light. She followed the gems to the wall she hadn't been near for a few months now, which was why the brick was so much heavier than she thought it would be. The constant collisions had left her bruised and pushing the loose brick rubbed her aching shoulder and she bit back a moan. She had to do this.

"Found you!"

Panicked, Bubblegum pushed harder. She heard the rush of wind as the Vampire King flew towards her.

The brick hadn't even moved halfway and the king was almost on top of her. She closed her eyes and yelped as the stone disappeared and she fell on her back in the gap. The king flew right over her, through the hole, and smashed into a cell, stone and iron bars crashing over him. If he'd made contact with her, the force would have undoubtedly broken her spine.

Her hand was grabbed and she was yanked through the opening and into Marceline's arms.

"You're okay!" the vampire cried, squeezing Bubblegum so tightly that she would likely fracture a rib.

"Marceline!" Bubblegum wheezed, too relieved to care about how much Marceline was hurting her. She returned the hug. "I'm fine. I'm glad you made it." She was hit by far too many emotions at the same time to be able to focus on anything other than the fact the vampire was still alive, but when Marceline let go and stepped back, she had a chance to take in her horrible injuries.

Marceline's clothes were in tatters, her hat the only thing that seemed to survive whatever it was that she endured. The branching scars hadn't fully faded, either.

"What happened to you?"

"No time to explain. Get back in the tunnel," she said urgently, turning around and placing Bubblegum behind her as the Vampire King burst from the wreckage. Bubblegum ducked back into the hole, crouching in the entrance.

"How adorable; you're worried about the little princess," the king taunted. His grin morphed into a scowl. "Don't waste your time, Marceline. Give her to me, now. There's no way you'll defeat me."

"I can try!" she yelled, lunging at the other vampire. He wasn't ready for it, as he expected her to be intimidated by him like she used to be, so when she actually managed to knock him down, he was surprised.

He pushed her off and then punched her in the stomach. She flew through the ceiling, into one of the spare rooms home to a Candy Person. The king was right behind her, but as he pounced, she lifted her legs and kicked him through a wall. She followed him and after he slammed through a door, into another room, she was straddling his waist, pounding her fists into his face until it was a bloody mess.

He started cackling as his hands shot up and he strangled Marceline, much like he did Bubblegum.

"You're still weak. You haven't changed at all," he snarled, digging the claws on his thumbs into her throat. He switched their positions.

"Yes… I… have," she choked, tearing the Dragon's Breath from her neck. The king loosened his hold and glanced at Marceline's hand. She used his slackened grip as her chance to suck in a deep breath and the she popped the vile's lid and gulped the contents. When she breathed back out, a cloud of fire left her mouth and engulfed the king. He screamed and wildly flung himself backwards, right out a window and into the castle gardens.

Marceline spat the rest of the Dragon's Breath out of her mouth and tailed the king. Smoke was already wafting from her skin, but the king was much further along than she was and she landed by him, grabbed him by the arms and then held him up to the sun. He cursed and howled and tried to free himself, but he was weakened and Marceline was empowered by her determination to watch him burn. His skin bubbled and boiled, turned black and melted off. He was a meaty, noisy, ugly, monster and soon the remainder of his flesh was gone and his skeleton was what Marceline held in her hands.

Even when stripped to only his bones, the Vampire King still fought. His teeth chattered and his fangs grinded against each other. It was an unsettling sound, but it was the only sound he could make.

The remainder of the king's body then turned to ash, fluttered to the ground and disappeared.

Marceline, facing the same fate as the Vampire King, collapsed. She could hear her skin sizzling.

She barely felt the hands on her, flipping her heavenward. Her face was partially shaded and she opened her eyes. Bubblegum was hovering over her, holding her hat, which had been knocked off somewhere earlier in the brawl.

She plucked her axe from behind her back and held it out to the princess.

"Be the hero, Bonni," she rasped.

"No, I could never…"

"I'm not going to make it." Bubblegum was on the verge of tears as Marceline said this. Her face was roasted to a horrid shade of black.

More and more Candy People were gathering around and Bubblegum had to think of some way to save Marceline without making it obvious. She didn't come all this way, fight the one person she always felt inferior to, save the whole kingdom and Bubblegum's life, just to die from exposure to the sun.

She didn't deserve the same grizzly death as the Vampire King.

Bubblegum bent down and whispered into Marceline's ear.

She then stood, dropped Marceline's hat close by the vampire and hoisted the axe up. She peered around at all the worried and frightened faces of her citizens and shouted, "Evil will never befall this kingdom so long as I am ruler!"

She swung the axe down and before it even made contact with Marceline, a dark mist sprung into the air like kicked up dust. The vampire's body had vanished.

Bubblegum threw the axe down and picked the hat up as the Candy Folk flooded around her, cheering.


	17. Bonding

The castle was packed with Candy People, who were either tending to the wounded or cleaning up the demolished rooms. Debris was everywhere. The Vampire King had turned the castle into a warzone and obliterated almost everything, but there had luckily been no deaths.

Bubblegum's room, it seemed, hadn't suffered from more than a broken cupboard door. She had wanted to help clean up, but Peppermint advised against it. He himself was in no condition to help either, but Bubblegum didn't have time to argue with the one subject brave enough to speak against her. So, she gave him the task of making sure she was left alone for the rest of the day. No interruptions, not even from him, unless it was an emergency.

Through all the chaos, Bubblegum still had Marceline's hat clutched to her chest. Some of her subjects had asked to take it, probably to set on fire, but she'd refused to let go of it. She was afraid to see what was in the hat, afraid to find that she wasn't fast enough.

She checked her door was locked and her curtains were closed. Something nudged her belly and when she lowered the hat, a small bat was squirming around in it.

The princess carefully picked Marceline up and placed her on her bed. The vampire changed back to her usual form and fell onto Bubblegum's pillows.

"Hungry…" she mumbled.

There was no time to find something red, and with the way her wounds weren't healing, she needed sustenance at once, and Bubblegum knew what she could give Marceline that would guarantee her survival.

Another's life force was surely more nourishing than a mere colour.

Bubblegum was still in her dirt covered nightgown, decorated with some additional bloodstains from Marceline. She pulled down her collar, leant over Marceline and turned her head, exposing her neck to the vampire.

"No…" Marceline pushed Bubblegum, but her diminishing strength didn't do more than shift the princess slightly.

Bubblegum wasn't going to take no for an answer and boldly wedged her hand under Marceline's head, lifted it and forced her fangs into her neck. They were sharp and easily pierced her flesh and as soon as her blood sloshed onto Marceline's tongue, the vampire's frail grip on her shoulder became almost painfully strong as she started sucking mouthfuls of blood from Bubblegum, flipping the princess over so she was on top of her. She hadn't had blood in a long time, because the lust it roused within her made her unfocused and monstrous. She needed to feed more often and shades of red didn't sate her. Many people she hadn't been paid to kill had died when she allowed herself to indulge.

Which was why it took all of her self-restraint to unclench her jaw and release Bubblegum from her fangs. She ran her tongue over the bite marks, healing them. The princess looked shocked.

"I'm sorry. I took too much," Marceline said, climbing off Bubblegum and sitting beside her, peering at the befuddled princess anxiously. "Did I hurt you?"

Bubblegum cupped her neck, fingering the two small indentations in wonderment.

"No, no, that felt…" Marceline's stomach churned hungrily when a blush lit Bubblegum's cheeks as she nervously traced her new wound that matched the vampire's own scars, "good…"

Marceline scanned the princess' clothes, wanting to avoid her eyes, because now she too felt somewhat embarrassed. Bubblegum made it seem a whole lot more intimate than it needed to be.

Her outfit looked no better than Marceline's. Caked with dirt and blood and totally shredded to pieces. Then, as Bubblegum lowered her hand, Marceline noticed the bruising around her neck. She'd missed it earlier since her sight was fuzzy. But now she could see exactly what had happened in her absence.

The Vampire King had strangled Bubblegum.

Marceline's rage bubbled and she felt it rise from her chest and become a ball in her throat. Her vision blurred and then she was crying.

"Marcy, what's wrong? You didn't hurt me," Bubblegum assured, turning and pulling Marceline into her arms.

"He did, Bonni. He," she hiccupped, "almost killed you." She could still smell his burnt skin on her hands. On her body. Everywhere.

"I'm right here," Bubblegum soothed, stroking Marceline's matted hair. It was thick with twigs and dirt.

"I've never been so afraid. The idea of losing you is just," she placed her hand on Bubblegum's back, dug her fingers into her nightgown, "unbearable."

The women were both on their side, pressed firmly together. Bubblegum was fighting her own tears, while Marceline covered her in more stains. She was overcome by a wave of affection and she slid her hands through the vampire's hair until they cradled the back of her skull. Delicately, exhaustedly, she raised Marceline's head so they were face-to-face.

Streaks of blood and tears lined her cheeks and though she was in a state of turmoil, Bubblegum thought she looked radiant. Naturally, the princess was swept away, and, naturally, she couldn't stop herself from kissing Marceline.

* * *

><p>The kiss had not escalated. If anything, it could have easily been a dream, considering Marceline and Bubblegum had passed out moments after the brief contact. Marceline from exhaustion and Bubblegum from blood loss. They had both been under so much stress in a single day that their bodies simply shut down.<p>

When Bubblegum woke up, she didn't know how long she'd been unconscious for. There was a soft bundle in her arms that felt too small to be Marceline and she noticed a tray of fresh fruit on her nightstand. Peppermint must have put it there, which meant she'd been out for more than a day.

She lifted the blanket to check what was in her arms.

A black cat. A light purring vibrated in its throat and the princess scratched behind its ear. Red eyes opened and stared at her, slitted and bright. The room was still dark, the curtains untouched. Marceline stretched and her body burst along the princess', her hair flowing down and framing Bubblegum as the vampire straddled her.

"Good morning," she said with a grin, bending to kiss the princess soundly.

Bubblegum nearly choked in embarrassment. She had not been ready for such an action, nor had she believed the tired and feather-light kiss she'd given Marceline before they'd collapsed into the arms of sleep been more than a dream.

Marceline responded to Bubblegum's startled reaction by rising onto her palms, their bodies no longer touching, and stared down with concern.

"Sorry, Bonni. Was that too soon?"

Bubblegum's face was ablaze, humiliatingly so. She felt like an inexperienced adolescent, stuck for words with a heavy tongue. She was never one to be incoherent, to be without a way to verbally express herself, but Marceline had the bothersome ability to shut away her confidence and eloquence, locking it in a box she couldn't open. All she felt was adoration, a crippling shyness that kept her frozen, and an urge to relive that kiss a thousand times.

"I…" she managed, her voice groggy, dry with dehydration. She reached for the glass of water on her nightstand, not caring how long it had sat there for. Marceline got off her and helped her sit up as she drank the whole glass in a few gulps.

Soothing fingers traced her back. A gentle touch that belonged to the strongest woman Bubblegum had ever known, a supposed monster capable of defeating a creature that had destroyed her castle, injured many of her citizens, and tried to kill her. All the memories of the previous day crashed through her mind and the princess became dizzy. So much had happened and it all stopped at the hand of Marceline. She was the real hero, no matter who the Candy People cheered for.

When the glass was placed in its original position with a _clink_, Bubblegum turned to Marceline, who watched her with a small patient smile. The princess reached out and brushed her fingertips along the still visible tangle of scars the electricity had etched into her skin. Bubblegum was familiar with such markings and knew Marceline had gone through a lot of horrible things to reach her in time.

"Thank you, Marceline, for everything you did for my kingdom. I appreciate it more than you can imagine," she said, trying to stay upright, despite her light-headedness.

The vampire chuckled and replied, "I didn't do it for your kingdom, Bonni."

Bubblegum lowered her hand, but Marceline snatched it and brought it to her mouth – pressed her lips against it. She gazed into the princess' eyes and she smiled dazzlingly, freely. Smiled as if all her burdens had been lifted from her shoulders and she could finally move, finally breathe. It was the single most beautiful thing Bubblegum had ever seen.

"I did it for you." – The single most beautiful thing she had ever heard.

Marceline was knocked over as Bubblegum lunged on her, arms around her neck, hugging her.

And the princess kissed Marceline with such fervour that the vampire was almost too shocked to reciprocate.

This was her first chance to not receive or give a kiss, but to share one with Bubblegum and she didn't want to miss it. She tilted up into soft lips.

Maybe it was the princess' life force restoring her body, but the stress and aches in her joints melted away, and all that was left was a warm buzz in the base of her skull and the marrow of her bones, liquid heat flooding throughout her being. After centuries of feeling only bitter coldness, she finally felt warm.

Wanting to prolong the foreign sensations, Marceline trailed her hands down Bubblegum's trim waist to the wider curves of her hips. She stopped there and dug her fingers into the plush skin beneath the nightgown and the princess broke the kiss to suck in a gasp. The pressure had sent a charge up her spine, which then plunged down below her stomach.

"Should we stop?" Marceline questioned, hesitant now that she discovered how sensitive Bubblegum was to her touch. She didn't want to rush things, no matter how much she wanted to strip the princess down and taste every inch of her. She hadn't known desire like this before, so tightly wound with delicate affection.

Bubblegum gazed at the woman under her. Now fully conscious, Marceline was being tentative, making it clear that she wouldn't do anything without permission after Bubblegum's initial response to the good morning peck.

Trembling with both anticipation and nervousness, Bubblegum shook her head and rolled onto her back, bringing the vampire atop her. "Keep going," she urged, shakily clutching Marceline's wrists and slowly placing the vampire's hands on her chest.

Marceline's eyes widened and she instantly withdrew, as if burned.

"Bonnibel, I… I might not be able to control myself. I have a taste for your blood now and-"

"I trust you."

The words were like a wrecking ball that slammed right into the wall around Marceline's emotions, almost causing her to cry again as they poured out. She'd never felt so strongly about someone before, not in this way. Even her loathing for the Vampire King didn't compare to what she experienced with Bubblegum at that moment, looking at her, dark violet eyes alight with joy, with admiration, with…love.

So, it was with great care that Marceline eased herself onto Bubblegum. Her hands reclaimed the breasts she'd wanted to cup once more the second she'd let go of them and leant to kiss the bite marks she'd left on Bubblegum's neck. They must've still been tender, because a quiet moan hummed in the princess' throat as Marceline dragged her lips across it and down to her collarbone.

The vampire didn't lose control once. She constantly glanced at Bubblegum, pausing before she removed an item of clothing or before she touched the lovely flesh the clothes had concealed with eager fingers, teeth, and tongue.

There was nothing left unexplored when the princess pushed Marceline onto her mattress, preparing to return the favour as best she could.


	18. It's Over

Now that their appetites had been satiated, despite not touching the tray of food on Bubblegum's nightstand, the princess, still naked, walked over to the bathroom. She hadn't gone so long without a shower before, but she supposed there was a valid reason. Before she fully entered the bathroom, she turned to said reason, smiled impishly and asked, "Are you coming?"

Marceline got up and followed the princess with a grin.

The mornings started off quite like this as Marceline regained her strength. Her skin was no longer scarred by the electricity and the boils had vanished; smooth and grey, soft to the touch of fingers and lips. It was almost as if the Vampire King had never existed. All the scars he'd left, in more than one sense, had seemingly vanished.

The castle was nearly fully repaired and Bubblegum was back to her normal duties, except with a few new additional activities that had very little to do with her kingdom and its governance. Yes, things were better than they'd been before.

At this time, Bubblegum had put aside a few hours to help with the reconstruction of the lower eastern side of her castle. That was where most of the battle had commenced and it needed more attention than anywhere else.

The princess changed, with Marceline's tired assistance, into something more practical and joined the citizens who had volunteered to help. Jake was moving some larger pieces of debris, while Finn shovelled smaller piles into a wheelbarrow. The ground level had suffered the most, because the tiers of the castle had collapsed and there was only one place for all the rubble to fall.

Bubblegum went over to Finn. He spotted her and waved with his shovel, almost hitting a Candy Person in the head. He apologised.

"Finn, thank you again for helping rebuild the castle."

"No probs. It's the least I could do since Jake and I got here too late to stop that evil jerk of a king. But you didn't even need our help, since you're so hardcore and junk. Man, I wish I coulda seen you take out the Reaper. I bet it was-"

"Finn," Bubblegum interrupted sternly, "I'd rather not talk about that day."

"Ah! Sorry! My bad! I'll just get back to doing my thing!"

Finn quickly dropped his shovel and grabbed the wheelbarrow he'd been filling and jogged out of the giant hole in the wall to unload all the debris, muttering, "I'm so _stupid_."

Bubblegum felt sorry for him. She was fine because of Marceline, but Finn blamed himself for what happened. He had no idea that if he'd arrived any earlier with his brother, he might've died. His tardiness was actually very convenient in this case and Bubblegum was thankful for how things played out. She wished that Marceline hadn't been hurt, but she was fine now. No citizen suffered from long-term injuries and no one suspected that Marceline had survived this time.

It almost seemed too good to be true.

However, the settling relief was not a welcoming feeling. Things only felt this way right before the beast of reality rose and thrust itself down on the world with some kind of horrible twist.

It all slowly unravelled when Bubblegum was washing the vampire's hat in her bathroom.

A small folded photograph was in the rim, aged and almost too creased to discern the image. But it was clear enough for Bubblegum to see a small demon child with what appeared to be her father. They were smiling.

The princess squinted and brought the photo closer to her eyes, deciding that, yes, it was the exact smile Marceline wore when she looked at her. Innocent. Happy.

Bubblegum slipped the image into her pocket with an idea in mind.

* * *

><p>The day passed and the castle was close to completion. Bubblegum had organised a party later on in the week that would celebrate the survival of her people. She also wanted to express her gratitude for all their hard work in rebuilding the castle.<p>

She had put some time aside to construct a gift for Marceline and she held it eagerly behind her back as she entered her chambers. The vampire was awake, reading a book she'd found under the princess' bed. It was obvious that she was engrossed, considering what book it was. Bubblegum had forgotten she'd still had that. It was the vampire book she'd used as a guide, and she'd written small notes in the borders of the pages, further describing or correcting certain details relating to Marceline.

Marceline glanced at her, stunned.

"You were obsessed with me."

"I wouldn't say obsessed…"

"Oh, okay. You were infatuated."

"No, I-"

"What've you got there? Another book full of footnotes about me? Gonna tell me more about my "piercing red eyes"?"

Bubblegum blushed and marched up to the side of her bed, slamming a photo frame on her nightstand. It was pink, but decorated with a black snake-like swirl that circled the photo of Marceline and her father.

Marceline's expression became blank.

"Why did you take that out?"

"You can put it back. I just thought you might like to look at it. I thought it might be a happy memory."

"It is."

She stared at the photo, as if drifting back to that moment. She was lost in her past and Bubblegum could see it. She sat on the bed, watching.

Marceline looked at her, a faint smile cracking through her stone-like face as she said, "I love the frame, thank you." Her smile didn't last as long as Bubblegum hoped. She didn't smile the same way she did in the photo. She was starting to look troubled. Her eyebrows scrunched and she cast her gaze aside, away from the photo, away from the princess.

She spoke quietly, "Bonni… Do you…think I'm staying?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because I'm not staying."

Bubblegum stiffened.

"But I thought we-you and I were- I don't understand."

"Bonnibel, I have some things I have to do and I have to do them alone. As soon as I'm fully healed, I'm leaving."

Only one thing mattered:

"Will you come back?"

Marceline picked up the frame and traced it, her eyes glazing over as she thought of her father. It seemed like Bubblegum was sitting on her bed waiting for hours, months, years. How long had she been holding her breath? How long had Marceline been fixated on the photograph?

It was only when the air was thick with trepidation did Marceline reply, "I don't know."


	19. How It Ended

"How is Lemongrab not imprisoned for life? Princess Bubblegum wishes to give him a second chance after she was assaulted by two competing assassins _hired_ by _him_!"

"If they hadn't killed each other, the Candy Kingdom would have fallen into the hands of a tyrant. Her punishment doesn't seem fit."

"The good thing is that Princess Bubblegum is alive and both the Vampire King and the Reaper are no longer a threat to the land. What does it matter if Lemongrab is to be released? He won't have deep pockets anymore; he's powerless."

"Her decision seems senseless."

"We all know of her peculiar methods. Her kingdom hasn't survived this long because of senseless decisions. Perhaps we should trust her."

"There's no telling what will happen when Lemongrab is loose. We can't touch him while he's under Bubblegum's protection."

"I believe the most we can do at this point is watch him closely. He hasn't threatened any of us, so Bubblegum's decision is hers alone."

A murmur of unrest.

"If there are no other matters, then this meeting is dismissed."

* * *

><p>Bubblegum felt like something was missing. It was colder. It had felt that way for weeks after Marceline disappeared. She had left no note. No remnants of her company.<p>

The frame was gone. That's how Bubblegum knew that Marceline might not return. The guilt eroded so much of who the vampire thought she was and what remained was fragile and good, but unstable. The princess couldn't remedy such a crisis of identity. She hated not having answers. Not having solutions. All problems were meant to have a solution. But not this one.

Lemongrab was stripped of his memory, reconstructed, and returned to his castle, where he would be monitored for a time. He seemed to be placid enough. He did, however, retain his sour attitude, but it was the best Bubblegum could hope for after what he became. She was sure the changes she made had done the trick, but there was still a slim chance that something could go wrong. She set every possible precaution in order to protect her people from another attack.

Trauma had not been escaped. Some people still feared to leave their houses. Stories of rogue vampires drifted among the worried citizens. They were unleashed, unafraid. With no king, there was also no order. Many feared another vampire attack.

The princess had left the castle to visit the graveyard. No new graves had been added. Marceline's funeral had only occurred so as to commence their plan, but the Vampire King received no burial. His bones had turned to ash. He was in the wind. No one wanted to remember him.

Bubblegum stopped in front of a toppled gravestone, the earth before it undisturbed. The princess bent to lift the block, pressing it back into its upright position.

She traced the epitaph, reading it over.

**The Axe Reaper**

**Feared by all**

**Loved by none.**

_That's not true…_

Bubblegum closed her eyes against the sun, shining hot as it lowered to its sleeping place. How could there be no clouds crossing its path on such a gloomy day? It was too clear. She kept her eyes closed, but it did little to help ease the pain. It was not the sun that stung. Tears pricked and fell.

As if responding to Bubblegum's discontent, a sliver of darkness blocked out the light and the princess opened her eyes gratefully.

She saw her shadow before anything else. The setting sun distorted it, stretched it, but Bubblegum knew who it belonged to.

All in one moment, Bubblegum wanted to scream and cry and laugh. She felt so many contrasting emotions that she was overwhelmed by the clash of everything. Her only impulse was to run. Run like time meant nothing. Run like it would end it all.

And she did run.

Bubblegum held her dress and she sprinted, stumbled, scrambled. She was so close.

The axe was gone. The leather, the hat, the goggles, all of it. A shirt and jeans. Basic. Simple. Beautiful.

Bubblegum flew into Marceline's arms, fists beating slim shoulders weakly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered, tears streaming down, down, down. Her voice had cracked, broke.

Arms circled her.

"I couldn't say goodbye to you. I wouldn't have been able to leave if I'd tried."

Bubblegum's heart dropped.

"Is that why you came back, then? To say goodbye?"

Marceline loosened her hold, urging Bubblegum to do the same. She had tear tracks on her cheeks, too. She looked brighter, somehow. The sun was sinking, but Bubblegum felt like it was getting warmer.

"No, baby. I came to say hello. The Reaper is dead, and now I'm just Marceline, so consider this our first meeting."

Bubblegum laughed through her tears.

She brushed her lips against the vampire's cheek, her breathing too ragged and her eyes too wet to manage anything more.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, sniffling.

Marceline held her hand, cupped it like treasure. She smiled, face colouring slightly. She was embarrassed and unfamiliar with affectionate gestures still, it seemed.

"I need to… to tell you…" she started, freeing her hands so she could reach back to nervously scratch her neck, ruffle her hair. It looked shorter. She struggled, blinked, and scrunched her nose, until: "I won't leave you again." She cast her gaze aside, face glowing, hands trembling. "I was finally strong enough to take out the Vampire King, but I think it's because you make me stronger."

Bubblegum smiled and reached out, sliding her fingers over the vampire's shoulders, continuing until they clasped together at the base of her skull.

"And why might that be?" she prodded teasingly, delightedly.

Marceline huffed, eyebrows knitting.

The answer was obvious.

"Because, nerd, I'm in love with you."

Bubblegum tugged Marceline's head down without warning. The vampire ducked, lips meeting the princess' suddenly and sweetly. Her nervousness faded, overtaken by a happiness she couldn't find anywhere but in Bubblegum's arms.

Hands, now steady, curled around the princess' waist, pulling and tugging. They needed to be closer.

When they parted, Bubblegum's lips met the ugly bite wound the Vampire King had left on Marceline. A gentle touch after one so vicious.

"And I love you," she said, clinging to Marceline with no intention of letting go.

_The End_

* * *

><p><strong>This final chapter goes out to my dear friend, Emilie. Love Me Dead has brought me a lot of joy, partly because it is the reason I now have such a wonderful person in my life. I have received more feedback than I ever thought I would and I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to give my story a chance. I never expected any of this. I am truly lucky to have readers like you. Thank you all for your encouragement and kindness. <strong>


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